A authorities aircraft carrying Pete Hegseth U-turned over the Atlantic Ocean and diverted to a British navy base after its windshield cracked.
The Secretary of Protection was returning to the US from Brussels on Wednesday, the place he had met with different NATO protection ministers.
Nonetheless, 1 hour and 20 minutes into the flight, the Boeing C-32A turned around over the Atlantic. It was about 80 miles off the Irish coast when it modified course, per knowledge from Flightradar24.
It then flew about two hours to RAF Mildenhall, a Royal Air Power base about 20 miles from Cambridge that’s now primarily utilized by the US Air Power.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, mentioned the aircraft “made an unscheduled touchdown … as a result of a crack within the plane windshield.”
“The aircraft landed primarily based on normal procedures and everybody onboard, together with Secretary Hegseth, is secure,” he added.
“All good. Thank God,” Hegseth mentioned in an X publish. “Proceed mission!”
The C-32A is a navy variant of the Boeing 757, and is used to fly prime members of presidency. It has operated as each Air Force Two, flying the vp, and Air Power One if the same old VC-25A utilized by the president, is deemed too massive.
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A C-17 Globemaster, a navy transport plane, was accompanying Hegseth’s flight. Flight-tracking knowledge reveals it additionally diverted to Mildenhall however departed two and a half hours later. It landed at Joint Base Andrews shortly earlier than midnight.
In the meantime, the aircraft with the cracked windshield, registered as 98-0002, seems to nonetheless be at Mildenhall.
It first entered service 27 years in the past. The age of the federal government jets has prompted work on a new Air Force One — however Boeing is operating years not on time and billions over finances.
Austin DeSisto/NurPhoto through Getty Photos
That is the third time this yr {that a} senior member of the federal government’s flight has been diverted.
In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on board a special C-32 heading to Germany. About an hour and a half after takeoff, it returned to the US after its windshield additionally cracked.
And on the finish of President Donald Trump’s state go to to the UK final month, a helicopter was taking him from the Prime Minister’s nation home to London Stansted Airport, the place Air Power One was parked.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned a “minor hydraulic concern” compelled Marine One to divert to London Luton Airport. One other helicopter carried Trump the remaining 25 miles, and he was solely delayed about 20 minutes.
