A Coast Guard jet carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other top officials was forced to make an emergency landing Wednesday afternoon outside Washington, D.C., after losing an engine in midair.
The C-37A diverted to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after its right engine failed, with the pilot declaring an emergency and requesting an immediate landing.
“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 there were 14 people aboard and the aircraft had roughly 2.5 hours’ worth of fuel.
The jet landed safely at Reagan National.
Mullin later confirmed he was aboard and praised the Coast Guard pilots for their handling of the emergency landing.
“The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. No panic, just straight professionalism,” Mullin wrote on X.
“After we landed, the pilots told me that was a first for them! We could not have been in better hands,” he added.
Airport officials said the aircraft “landed safely, was thoroughly checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then proceeded off the runway.”
The C-37A is the military designation for the Gulfstream V and is part of the Coast Guard’s fleet of long-range command-and-control aircraft used to transport senior Coast Guard and DHS officials.
The Coast Guard placed its C-37A into service in 2002. The aircraft is based at Coast Guard Air Station Washington.
🚨 JUST IN: A plane carrying DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin just suffered a single engine failure and SAFELY LANDED at Reagan Airport — CBS
Thank God they’re safe 🙏🏻
MULLIN: “The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. No panic, just straight… pic.twitter.com/VH2DjoTLkp
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 2, 2026
Wednesday’s emergency landing comes amid a broader overhaul of the Coast Guard’s aging executive aircraft fleet, which has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
DHS and the Coast Guard have argued that newer long-range command-and-control aircraft are needed because their older Gulfstream jets have become increasingly difficult to operate and maintain.
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The department initially sought roughly $50 million in its fiscal year 2025 spending plan to replace an aging executive jet, prompting questions from lawmakers over whether the money would be better spent updating Coast Guard aircraft used for operational missions.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the push for a replacement during a May 20 Senate hearing, saying the existing aircraft had been in service “beyond its usable hours.”
Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and LaMonica McIver of New Jersey later questioned why replacing an executive aircraft should take priority over upgrading older Coast Guard planes used for search-and-rescue missions.
The controversy grew in October 2025 when the Coast Guard moved forward with the acquisition of two new Gulfstream G700 long-range command-and-control aircraft at a combined cost approaching $200 million.
The first of those aircraft was delivered in January 2026, according to DHS, with the second expected by the end of the fiscal year.
The purchases have continued to face criticism from Democrats in Congress. Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Chris Murphy of Connecticut raised new questions last month about DHS spending on executive aircraft, including the two G700s.
Wednesday’s emergency landing, however, involved the Coast Guard’s older C-37A, which managed to land safely at Reagan National after losing its right engine.
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