A U.S. Coast Guard plane carrying Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing Wednesday in Virginia after the aircraft suffered failure in one of its two engines.
“We just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency and immediate landing at DCA,” the pilot told air-traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“We have 14 souls on board and two and a half hours of fuel.”
Mullin was en route from Georgia to the nation’s capital when the Coast Guard C101, a C-37A Gulfstream V jet, was diverted.
Mullin said on X of the incident: “The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. 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.”
A Coast Guard aircraft has landed safely at DCA after declaring an emergency in the air
C101 had lost its right engine mid-flight and diverted to Reagan Airport for an immediate landing. All 14 members on board have landed safely.
Audio/Visual via https://t.co/E738f3746s pic.twitter.com/PmrmDwZRTa
— The DC MD VA Live (@TheDMVLive) September 2, 2026
Fox News reports: “The aircraft is one of the Coast Guard planes that DHS flagged last year because of its age. DHS oversees the Coast Guard.”
“At the time, then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced backlash and congressional scrutiny for purchasing two luxury Gulfstream G700 private jets for the Coast Guard costing between $172 million and $200 million, far exceeding her initial $50 million request.
“DHS has previously voiced concerns about aging aircraft. In 2025, the agency said the C101 was more than ’20 years old, outside of Gulfstream’s service life, and well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft.'”
“Much like the U.S. Coast Guard’s ships that are well beyond their service life and safe operational usage, Coast Guard’s aircraft are, too. The Trump Administration is taking action to restore our Nation’s finest maritime Armed Service to a capable fighting force,” said then-DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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