A Coast Guard jet lost an engine mid-flight Wednesday with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on board.
The aircraft, a C-37A, the military version of the Gulfstream V, was carrying Mullin and other senior officials when its right engine failed. The pilot immediately declared an emergency and diverted to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C.
“We just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency and immediate landing at DCA,” the pilot told air traffic controllers. An audio recording captured the communication. The pilot reported 14 people aboard and roughly two and a half hours of fuel remaining.
The jet landed safely.
As originally reported, airport officials confirmed the aircraft landed without incident and was inspected by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel before leaving the runway.
Mullin later took to X to confirm he was on the plane and credit the crew for their composure. “The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. No panic, just straight professionalism,” he wrote. He added that after landing, the pilots told him it was a first for them, writing, “We could not have been in better hands.”
The C-37A has been part of the Coast Guard fleet since 2002 and operates out of Coast Guard Air Station Washington. It serves as a long-range command-and-control aircraft used to transport senior Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security officials.
Wednesday’s incident lands against a backdrop of ongoing debate over the condition of the Coast Guard’s executive aircraft fleet. DHS and the Coast Guard have argued for newer planes, citing growing difficulty maintaining and operating the aging Gulfstream jets.
The department requested around $50 million in its fiscal year 2025 budget to replace one of the aging executive jets. That request drew pushback from lawmakers who questioned whether the funds would be better directed toward Coast Guard planes used for operational missions.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the purchase request at a Senate hearing on May 20, stating the existing aircraft had been in service beyond its usable hours.
Democratic Representatives Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and LaMonica McIver of New Jersey later raised concerns about why an executive aircraft replacement should take priority over upgrading older planes used for search-and-rescue operations.
No injuries were reported in Wednesday’s emergency landing.