Homeland Security Secretary Mullin's Plane Makes Emergency Landing

The Story

A U.S. Coast Guard plane carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing at Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday after its right engine failed mid-flight. The Gulfstream V aircraft, traveling from Atlanta, carried 14 people when the pilot declared an emergency and safely diverted at approximately 1:35 p.m. ET. Secretary Mullin praised the flight crew on social media platform X, stating, "The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine." He added that there was "No panic, just straight professionalism" and that the pilots told him it was a first for them. The military C-37A jet, stationed at Air Station Washington, has been in active service since 2002. The pilot reported "14 souls on board" and about two and a half hours of fuel remaining. The Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has previously defended requests for funding to replace one of its two long-range command aircraft. DHS warned in 2025 that the aircraft was suffering from aging avionics and communications systems. Coast Guard officials have argued the plane is approaching or has exceeded its useful service life and needs replacement. The existing C-37A is described as 23 years old in government procurement documents. Separately, Secretary Mullin accused Democrats on Tuesday of using rhetoric to unfairly demonize Immigration and Customs Enforcement and undermine President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. He made these remarks at a New York news conference announcing "Operation Rotten Apple," a statewide sweep targeting non-citizens with criminal records. Mullin clarified that ICE agents would only be at polling places if there was a specific threat or to serve a warrant on a tracked individual.

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