What happened to the US Secretary of Homeland Security's plane? It lost an engine mid-flight

A Coast Guard aircraft carrying United States Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin had to make an emergency landing in Washington after losing one of its engines, the official recounted this Thursday, confirming that the operation concluded safely.

The incident took place the day before and was reported by the pilot of the C-37A, a military version of the Gulfstream V executive aircraft often used to transport senior government officials, to the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on the outskirts of the U.S. capital.

"We just lost the right engine, we want to declare an emergency and request an immediate landing at DCA," the pilot communicated according to audio recordings. He also reported that 14 people were on board, all of whom disembarked safely after the maneuver.

In an interview with the Fox News network, Mullin praised the skill of the "phenomenal" Coast Guard aviators.

"They are, without a doubt, the best pilots. They made everything look like a routine landing. They maintained calm and professionalism at all times," detailed Mullin, who took office as DHS Secretary last March, following the departure of the previous department head, Kristi Noem.

The former senator thanked the pilots for their "excellent work" throughout the process. "I assure you I could not have been in better hands. I felt very proud of them," he added.

The Department of Homeland Security had already expressed concern regarding the aging of its aircraft, especially the plane used by high-ranking officials, which was "22 years old and facing significant obsolescence issues in its avionics and communications systems," according to a report from last year, cited by CBS.

The department's 2025 fiscal year spending proposal included a $50 million appropriation to replace the Coast Guard's executive aircraft, which was later increased to $200 million to acquire two new Gulfstream G700 jets.

The first of these new aircraft was delivered last January, according to CBS. Authorities have not clarified why this plane was not in service during Secretary Mullin's trip.