The Pentagon has confirmed that a plane carrying United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, made an emergency landing in the United Kingdom while returning to the United States from NATO’s Defence Ministers’ meeting in Belgium.
According to the Pentagon’s post on X, the aircraft developed “a crack in the windshield,” prompting pilots to divert and land in the UK as a precaution.
“The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe,” the statement read.
Following the incident, Hegseth reassured the public in a message after landing, saying, “All good. Thank God. Continue mission!”
BBC Verify reported that flight tracking data showed the plane descending off Ireland’s southwest coast before turning east and dropping to about 10,000 feet.
At that point, it began transmitting a “7700 squawk code”, an alert used to indicate a general in-flight emergency, which can include engine failure, cabin depressurisation, or medical issues.
This is the second such occurrence this year. In February, a government aircraft carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to return mid-flight due to a crack in the cockpit window.
Hegseth had been among defence ministers meeting in Belgium on Wednesday to deliberate on ongoing security matters in Ukraine.
