Coast Guard plane carrying DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin makes emergency landing due to engine failure

<p>A plane carrying Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing on September 2, 2026, after the aircraft experienced an engine failure. </p><p>Mullin was traveling from Georgia to Washington, D.C., when the U.S. Coast Guard C101, a C-37A Gulfstream V jet, was diverted to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia. </p><p>The pilot informed the airport's control tower, "We just lost our right engine and would like to declare an emergency and immediate landing at DCA," according to an audio recording. </p><p>The pilot reported that there were 14 people on board and approximately 2.5 hours' worth of fuel. </p><p>After the landing, Mullin expressed gratitude on X, stating, "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." </p><p>The aircraft is one of the Coast Guard planes that DHS flagged in 2025 due to its age. DHS oversees the Coast Guard. </p><p>In 2025, concerns were raised regarding aging aircraft within the Coast Guard. The C101 was noted to be over 20 years old, beyond Gulfstream’s service life, and exceeding operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft. </p><p>Then-DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, "Much like the US Coast Guard’s ships that are well beyond their service life and safe operational usage, Coast Guard’s aircraft are, too. The Trump Administration is taking action to restore our Nation’s finest maritime Armed Service to a capable fighting force." </p><p>In May 2025, Democratic Representatives Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and LaMonica McIver of New Jersey questioned DHS about the prioritization of upgrading executive aircraft over modernizing aging Coast Guard search-and-rescue planes. </p><p>Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS and the Coast Guard for further comment.</p>