Why was VIP jet carrying top US defense official forced to land in UK?

A U.S. Air Force plane carrying Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was forced to make an emergency landing in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 15, after the aircraft's windshield cracked mid-flight.

The incident occurred when the C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 carrying VIPs, was returning to Washington after a meeting in Brussels, where Hegseth attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense Minister meeting.

The plane was flying over the Atlantic ocean and it took some 30 minutes before the damage was detected and the crew reported an emergency.

In a social media release, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the unscheduled landing saying the plane experienced normal procedures and that no passengers, including Secretary Hegseth, were harmed.

He stated, “On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War 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.”

Flight track recordings indicated that the plane made a U-turn over Ireland and landed safely at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England at 7:07 p.m. local time.

Following the incident, Hegseth posted on official X (formerly known as Twitter), “All good. Thank God. Continue mission!”

The C-32A is used as a primary aircraft to transport senior U.S. officials including the Secretary of State and Vice President when visiting airports with shorter runways.

The emergency landing marks the second recent incident involving aircraft carrying US officials, following a mechanical problem that forced Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s plane to return to Washington earlier this year.

The underlying reason behind the windshield crack remains under investigation.