Pete's Hegseth's plane makes emergency landing in the UK

A flight carrying U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was forced to make an emergency landing at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, after a crack appeared in the plane’s windshield mid-flight.

According to flight tracking data, Hegseth’s Boeing C-32A a military version of the Boeing 757 used to transport senior U.S. officials was traveling from Brussels to Washington, D.C. when the crew detected the issue roughly 30 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft, flying over the Atlantic Ocean, declared an emergency and descended to 10,000 feet as a precaution before diverting to RAF Mildenhall, a base primarily operated by the U.S. Air Force.

The flight, identified as SAM153, landed safely on runway 10 at 7:08 p.m. BST, as confirmed by Flightradar24. A KC-135T Stratotanker followed the aircraft, ready to assist if necessary.

Shortly after landing, Pete Hegseth reassured the public with a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“All good. Thank God. Continue mission!”

What Happened on the Flight

The aircraft reportedly squawked 7700, the universal code for a general emergency. This alert can indicate technical or mechanical issues, including those affecting the cockpit. Despite the mid-air scare, all passengers and crew, including Hegseth, were unharmed.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later confirmed:

“On the way back from NATO’s Defence Ministers’ meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing due to a windshield crack. The landing followed standard safety procedures, and everyone onboard is safe.”

Similar Incident Earlier This Year

This isn’t the first time a U.S. government aircraft has faced such an issue. In February, a plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to return to Washington after a cockpit window crack during a flight to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Rubio later continued his journey aboard a smaller aircraft.

Hegseth’s Mission in Brussels

Before the emergency landing, Hegseth attended the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein) session in Brussels. It was his first in-person appearance at the Ramstein talks after previously joining online.

During the meeting, he urged NATO allies to increase funding for American-made weapons for Ukraine under the PURL defense program.

Hegseth also issued a strong warning to Russia, declaring:

“The United States and its allies will impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression. This war did not begin under President Trump’s watch, but it will end under his watch.”