A Coast Guard plane carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and over a dozen passengers made an emergency landing on Wednesday. The emergency occurred following an engine failure.
The Gulfstream jet landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport without any injuries being reported. In a communication with air traffic control, the pilot said, “we just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency and an immediate landing at DCA.”
The pilot mentioned that there were 14 individuals on board and that the aircraft had approximately two and a half hours of fuel remaining. The incident was confirmed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
The call from the pilot was received around 1:35 p.m. ET. It reported “a possible mechanical issue” and requested to divert the flight to Reagan Airport, located in the Virginia suburbs of Washington.
The plane landed safely, was thoroughly checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel, and then proceeded off the runway. There was no disruption to other flights.
Markwayne Mullin described the incident in a post on X. He praised the United States Coast Guard pilots for their professionalism, saying, “The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. No panic, just straight professionalism. After we landed, the pilots told me that was a first for them! We could not have been in better hands.”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, has not yet made a comment regarding the incident.
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