Plane Loses Engine Mid-Flight Carrying DHS Secretary

A Coast Guard jet carrying the Homeland Security secretary lost an engine over Washington and still touched down safely on one.

Story Snapshot

The pilot declared an emergency after losing the right engine near Reagan National Airport.
The jet landed safely with 14 people on board; no injuries were reported.
The aircraft was a Coast Guard C-37A used for senior officials.
Passengers praised the crew’s calm, professional single-engine landing.

Pilot declares emergency, requests immediate landing

Air traffic control audio captured the pilot’s call: the right engine was out, an emergency was declared, and the crew requested an immediate landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The pilot reported 14 people on board and about two and a half hours of fuel. Controllers cleared the approach. The jet landed without incident on one engine. Airport fire and rescue units inspected the aircraft on the runway before it taxied clear and continued to the ramp.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other Department of Homeland Security officials were aboard. Multiple outlets reported all 14 on the plane were unharmed after touchdown. Mullin later said the United States Coast Guard pilots made the landing feel routine and showed “no panic.” He added the pilots told him it was a first for them, which underscores how rarely this crew faces a true single-engine landing in a large jet, even though they train for it.

The aircraft and the mission profile

The jet was identified as a C-37A, the military version of the Gulfstream V used by the Coast Guard for senior travel and command missions. This platform flies long legs, often with secure communications and tight schedules. The Coast Guard has discussed age and obsolescence issues across parts of its aviation fleet in recent years. The Department of Homeland Security also acknowledged one command-and-control jet exceeded 20 years of service and faced avionics and communications challenges, driving modernization plans.

Single-engine performance in a twin-engine jet demands crisp crew coordination. Losing thrust on one side creates yaw and drag, which the pilot must counter with rudder and careful power management. Training and checklist discipline bridge that gap. The radio call, the stabilized approach, and the runway inspection match the playbook. The outcome also mirrors what the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board describe as an incident that, if serious, can draw review, with the National Transportation Safety Board leading.

What the numbers and readiness context suggest

Emergency declarations grab attention, but safe outcomes are the point of all that training. General aviation data show forced landings carry far higher fatality risk than precautionary landings, which is why declaring early and heading to a suitable runway is smart risk control. The crew chose the big, close runway with support on standby, and it paid off. Coast Guard aviation has faced readiness strain. Government Accountability Office work has noted the service did not meet its 71 percent aircraft availability target from 2018 to 2022, a metric that frames maintenance pressure on aging fleets.

#LADYQNEWS #LADYQNEWS
NEW: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says he owes the U.S. Coast Guard pilots a huge thank you after his plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

The unexpected stop was due to an engine failure while flying from Georgia to Washington, D.C.

The U.S.… pic.twitter.com/0ti98tDXoO

— Lady Q (@LadyQNews) September 3, 2026

None of that takes away from what happened in the cockpit. The pilot told the tower what failed, how many were aboard, and the fuel state. Controllers cleared the path. Fire and rescue staged. The aircraft landed, was checked, and rolled off the runway. That is how a layered safety system should work. Americans expect competence, accountability, and gear that is ready when needed. This flight showed the first two on a hard day, and it nudges the third back onto the front burner.