A Coast Guard airplane carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday afternoon after an engine failure.
The pilot told DCA’s control tower the plane lost its right engine and had 14 people on board, according to a recording of air traffic control audio. The plane, a Gulfstream jet, landed safely around 1:35 p.m. and did not cause disruption to any other flights, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson Crystal Nosal said in an email.
Mullin said in a post on social media that he was one of the people aboard. The plane is frequently used to transport the secretary and high-ranking members of the Coast Guard.
“The United States Coast Guard pilots made the single engine landing feel routine. No panic, just straight professionalism,” he wrote. “After we landed, the pilots told me that was a first for them! We could not have been in better hands.”
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Last year, DHS said the plane, which is more than 20 years old, is too worn-out to remain in use and should be replaced as a matter of safety.
The Coast Guard declined to comment. The Department of Homeland Security directed questions to Mullin’s social media post.
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