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

Updated on: September 2, 2026 / 3:40 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — A Coast Guard jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other top DHS officials made an emergency landing Wednesday afternoon outside Washington, D.C., after one of its engines failed.

The pilot of the plane, a C-37A, reported the loss of an engine to air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

"We just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency and immediate landing at DCA," the pilot told the airport's control tower, according to an audio recording of the communication. The pilot told controllers the plane had 14 people on board and 2.5 hours' worth of fuel.

The C-37A is the military version of a Gulfstream V jet and is routinely used to carry senior Coast Guard and DHS officials, including the secretary. DHS oversees the Coast Guard.

Mullin confirmed the emergency landing in a post on X, writing that "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," he…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/