DHS chief's plane forced to make emergency landing after engine failure

A US Coast Guard-operated Gulfstream V jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin safely diverted to Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday after suffering an engine failure.

The pilot declared an emergency after the aircraft's right engine failed during a flight from Atlanta to the Washington, DC, area, according to Mullin and air traffic control audio.

The C-37A aircraft was carrying 14 people and landed at Reagan National Airport at around 1:35 p.m. ET.

"The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single-engine landing feel routine," Mullin said on X/Twitter. "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," he added.

Coast Guard plane has been in service since 2002

The Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment on the incident and referred questions to the Coast Guard, which did not immediately respond.

The aircraft has been in service since 2002 and is based at Air Station Washington.

Recent aviation incidents near Reagan airport

The emergency landing comes days after the National Transportation Safety Board said the crew of a military helicopter carrying US President Donald Trump had failed to contact air traffic controllers before an August safety incident involving a passenger jet near Reagan National Airport.

The FAA imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around the airport following the January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army helicopter that killed 67 people.