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A United States Air Force Boeing C-32A carrying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was forced to make an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a cracked windshield. The incident occurred as the aircraft was returning from a NATO Defense Minister meeting in Belgium.
The plane, a modified Boeing 757-200, departed Brussels Airport at 16:50 local time under the callsign RCH153. After flying westward over England and south of Ireland, the aircraft began descending and turned back just over an hour into its journey. The jet issued a 7700 squawk code, indicating an emergency, and descended to 10,000 feet before diverting to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. It landed safely at 19:08 local time after three hours and eighteen minutes in the air.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated: "Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield. The plane landed based on standard procedures, and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe."
