A US Coast Guard aircraft carrying Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing on Wednesday after suffering engine failure mid-flight. The C-37A Gulfstream V jet, travelling from Georgia to Washington, D.C., was diverted to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when its right engine failed, though the pilots managed a safe single-engine landing. The incident has drawn renewed attention to the ageing state of the Coast Guard's aircraft fleet, an issue that has previously caused political controversy within DHS.

The pilot radioed air traffic control to declare an emergency, reporting 14 people on board and around two-and-a-half hours of fuel remaining. Mullin praised the crew's professionalism on social media, noting they described the landing as a first for them. The aircraft involved was one flagged by DHS last year for being over 20 years old and beyond typical service life, a concern previously cited by the department even as Secretary Kristi Noem faced criticism for approving up to $200 million on two luxury Gulfstream jets for the Coast Guard, well above her original budget request. Democratic lawmakers had earlier questioned DHS's spending priorities, arguing that funds should go towards modernising ageing search-and-rescue aircraft rather than executive travel.