A US Air Force Boeing C-32 transport aircraft carrying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an unscheduled landing at Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall in the United Kingdom after a crack was discovered in the cockpit windscreen during a transatlantic flight, the Pentagon confirmed.
The aircraft was en route to the United States from Belgium, where Hegseth had attended a NATO defense ministers’ meeting focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Alliance’s air defense posture.
“The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe,” Sean Parnell, Chief Pentagon Spokesman, said on X.
According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft was flying off the southern coast of Ireland when the crew decided to divert as a precaution. RAF Mildenhall, located in Suffolk, England, serves as a key base for US Air Force operations in Europe and was well-positioned to receive the flight.
After landing, Hegseth wrote on X: “All good. Thank God. Continue mission!”
The C-32 is a modified Boeing 757-200 used by the US Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing for Special Air Mission flights, which transport senior US political and military officials, including the Vice President, First Lady, and members of the Cabinet.
Aircraft windshield cracks are rare but can occur due to thermal stress or pressure differentials at high altitude. In such cases, flight crews are required to divert and land safely before the issue escalates.
The incident comes at the close of a two-day NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium, where defense ministers discussed bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses, improving the Alliance’s readiness for a prolonged conflict, and reacting to recurring airspace provocations by Russia.
In a similar incident earlier this year, on February 13, 2025, a US Air Force C-32 carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch had to turn back to Washington shortly after takeoff due to a mechanical issue, according to the State Department.
