Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Coast Guard Jet Carrying DHS Secretary Makes Emergency Landing
A Coast Guard plane carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had an engine problem.
The pilot told air traffic controllers that the right engine had stopped working.
There were 14 people on the plane and enough fuel for about two and a half hours.
The pilot asked to land right away at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The plane landed safely and emergency workers checked it.
Mullin said the pilots handled the problem calmly and professionally.
The incident also brought attention to the age of the Coast Guard’s executive jet.
Some lawmakers questioned whether replacing that plane should come before improving older aircraft used for search-and-rescue missions.
A Coast Guard C-37A jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and 13 others lost its right engine Wednesday afternoon.
The pilot declared an emergency and requested an immediate landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The aircraft landed safely, was inspected by airport emergency personnel, and then left the runway.
Mullin praised the Coast Guard pilots for handling the single-engine landing professionally.
The incident renewed attention to the aging aircraft and disagreement over replacing it versus upgrading search-and-rescue planes.
- Who
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, several senior Department of Homeland Security officials, and Coast Guard pilots were involved.
- What
- A Coast Guard C-37A jet lost its right engine and made an emergency landing.
- When
- Wednesday afternoon; the aircraft’s age and replacement have also been discussed in recent hearings and budget planning.
- Where
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, DC.
- Why
- The pilot requested an emergency landing after the aircraft experienced an engine failure; the incident also renewed debate over the jet’s replacement.
Critics and lawmakers
DHS and Coast Guard officials
Replacement priority
Critics and lawmakers
Democratic lawmakers questioned why replacing the executive aircraft was prioritized over upgrading older Coast Guard aircraft used for search-and-rescue operations.
DHS and Coast Guard officials
DHS sought approximately $50 million to replace the aging executive jet, citing avionics and communications obsolescence and the aircraft’s service beyond its usable hours.
Assessment of the emergency landing
Critics and lawmakers
The engine failure highlighted concerns previously raised about the age and condition of the Coast Guard’s executive aircraft.
DHS and Coast Guard officials
Markwayne Mullin praised the Coast Guard pilots, saying they made the single-engine landing feel routine and handled it with professionalism.
- Aircraft
- Coast Guard C-37A, the military version of a Gulfstream V business jet
- People aboard
- 14 people
- Engine problem
- The right engine failed
- Fuel remaining
- Approximately 2.5 hours at the time of the emergency call
- Aircraft age
- DHS said last year that the aircraft was 22 years old
- Replacement request
- DHS’s fiscal year 2025 spending plan requested approximately $50 million for a replacement executive jet
- Landing outcome
- The aircraft landed safely and was inspected before leaving the runway