Politics
JUST IN: War Sec. Hegseth’s Plane Forced To Make Emergency Landing
A plane carrying War Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior department officials was forced to make an emergency landing in the U.K. on Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, flight-tracking data appeared to indicate that the aircraft was rapidly descending after turning around. “The Air Force C-32 carrying Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared an emergency over the Atlantic, dropped to 10,000 feet, and now reversed course to the UK,” conservative journalist Nick Sortor posted on X.
“Plane is squawking 7700, which could mean an engine failure, medical issue, onboard fire, or another general emergency,” he added.
At 2:10 Eastern Time, Parnell confirmed that the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing.
“On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield,” Parnell said. He added that the plane was able to land successfully in accordance with standard emergency procedures, and that everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, was safe.
“All good. Thank god. Continue mission!” the secretary wrote in an X post of his own.
The incident occurred as Secretary Hegseth was returning from the NATO Ministers of Defense Meeting at the alliance’s in Brussels, Belgium.
The meeting, chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, brought together allied defense ministers in order to discuss strategic priorities and security issues facing the alliance. NATO typically holds regular meetings of its defense ministers, often twice a year, as part of its ongoing coordination efforts.
