US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in Great Britain due to a cracked windshield
A plane carrying US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom on Wednesday afternoon due to a reported crack in the plane’s windshield, a Pentagon official confirmed.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell shared the details on social media, saying the landing occurred on a return flight from a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
Parnell said: “On the way back to the US from a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Minister Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the UK due to a cracked windshield.”
He added that the landing followed standard procedures and that everyone on board, including Hegseth, remained safe.
Aircraft security measures
The Boeing plane reportedly descended to 10,000 feet, the standard emergency altitude, after possible cabin depressurization.
The exact cause of the windshield is still under investigation.
In accordance with standard protocol followed under previous defense secretaries, Hegseth was not accompanied on the flight by any members of the Pentagon press corps.
A similar incident occurred in February when a C-32 carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch had to return to Washington due to a problem with the cockpit windshield. The problem occurred about 90 minutes after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC
The C-32, a specially modified Boeing 757-200, is used to transport US leaders, including the vice president, first lady, cabinet members and members of Congress.
