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A U.S. Coast Guard jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday afternoon after its right engine failed in flight. The C-37A Gulfstream, with 14 people on board, landed safely at 1:35 p.m. Eastern, the airport said.
The crew declared an emergency and asked for an immediate landing, which air traffic controllers granted, according to audio of the exchange. Reagan National said the aircraft reported a possible mechanical issue, diverted, and was checked by Airports Authority fire and rescue crews before it taxied off the runway. No other flights were disrupted, the airport added.
Mullin, who leads the department that oversees the Coast Guard, described the landing as smooth and praised the flight crew. "No panic, just straight professionalism," he wrote, adding that the pilots told him a single-engine landing was a first for them. He said everyone on board was unharmed.
The C-37A is a military version of the Gulfstream V used to move senior U.S. officials. Losing an engine in cruise is a rare emergency that crews train to handle, and the aircraft is designed to fly and land on the remaining engine. NBC News reported that all 14 passengers and crew walked away without injury.
The safe outcome still drew attention to how the government transports its principals by air. Cabinet secretaries and other protected officials fly often, frequently on military and government aircraft, and a mechanical failure at altitude tests both the airframe and the crew. Wednesday's landing ended without harm, and Reagan National said normal operations continued through the diversion.
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