US News

Coast Guard plane carrying DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin makes emergency landing after engine failure

A C-37A jet carrying 14 people landed safely at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following the loss of its right engine.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 21:18 UTC4 reports

The short version

A U.S. Coast Guard executive jet transporting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.
The aircraft experienced a failure in its right engine during flight, requiring pilots to execute a single-engine landing.
All 14 people on board were safe, and airport rescue personnel inspected the plane upon landing.
The incident refocuses attention on longstanding debates regarding the Coast Guard's aging executive aircraft fleet.

A U.S. Coast Guard C-37A jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and 13 other passengers made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.[CBS News · Fox News · ABC News · The Washington Post]
Air traffic control recordings show the pilot declared an emergency after reporting the loss of the aircraft's right engine while traveling with 2.5 hours of fuel remaining.[CBS News · Fox News · The Washington Post]
The aircraft landed safely and was inspected by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel before clearing the runway.[CBS News]
Mullin commended the Coast Guard flight crew on social media for executing the single-engine landing calmly and professionally.[CBS News · Fox News · ABC News]
DHS had previously flagged the executive jet, in service for more than two decades, for age-related avionics obsolescence and high operational usage hours.[CBS News · Fox News]
Prior department proposals to replace executive aircraft faced scrutiny from congressional lawmakers who questioned prioritizing leadership transports over search-and-rescue fleet upgrades.[CBS News · Fox News]

The precise root cause of the right engine's mid-flight failure has not been publicly detailed.[CBS News · Fox News]
The exact age of the aircraft is inconsistently reported between sources as either 22 or 25 years old.[CBS News · ABC News]