The plane carrying US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin experienced an engine failure and made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on September 2, 2026, around 1:35 PM Eastern Time [1, 2]. Pilots reported losing the right engine and requested an immediate diversion to the airport [1, 2].
The aircraft was a Coast Guard Gulfstream jet carrying about 14 people on board [1, 2]. After the engine failure was detected, the plane still had approximately two and a half hours of fuel remaining [1, 2]. The emergency single-engine landing was completed safely with no injuries reported, and airport fire and rescue inspected the plane before it left the runway. Other flights at the airport were not affected [1, 2].
Secretary Mullin praised the Coast Guard pilots on social media, saying, "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" [1, 3, 2]. Mullin’s statements highlighted the calm handling of the incident.
The Coast Guard jet involved was among aircraft flagged by the Department of Homeland Security last year due to its age [3]. The Department of Homeland Security has not released an immediate comment on the incident [1, 2].
The incident timeline showed that at 1:35 PM on September 2, the pilot reported a possible mechanical problem and requested diversion to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport [1, 2]. The emergency single-engine landing happened shortly after on the same day, with all personnel safe [1, 3, 2].
