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

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 added. 

The airport said in a statement that the plane “landed safely, was thoroughly checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then proceeded off the runway.”

CBS News has reached out to the DHS for comment about the emergency landing. The Coast Guard referred CBS News to DHS. 

The department has raised concerns about the aging aircraft in the past. Last year, DHS said in a statement that the Coast Guard plane was “22 years old and faces significant avionics and communications obsolescence issues.”

The department’s fiscal year 2025 spending plan sought roughly $50 million to replace its aging Coast Guard executive jet used to transport senior officials. The request drew scrutiny from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, who questioned Coast Guard leadership about the proposed purchase during an appropriations hearing.

During a May 20 Senate hearing, then-Secretary Kristi Noem defended her request, saying the existing jet had been in service “beyond its usable hours.” 

Days later, Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and LaMonica McIver of New Jersey questioned DHS about why replacing its executive aircraft should take priority over updating older Coast Guard planes used in search-and-rescue missions. 

By October 2025, the Coast Guard shifted its request from a proposed $50 million to two new Gulfstream G700s for roughly $200 million, prompting more scrutiny from members of Congress.