On the way back to the United States from a NATO meeting in Brussels, the plane carrying US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was forced to land in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft's windshield.
The plane "made an unscheduled landing" in Suffolk, in the UK, after a crack in the windshield caused the Boeing to depressurise, The Times reports.
"The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe," said Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, in a post on social media.
Hegseth was returning from a brief trip to Brussels, where he attended a NATO meeting of defence ministers to discuss security in Ukraine.
Not the first aircraft failure
Commenting on Parnell's post after landing, Hegseth said "All good. Thank God. Continue mission!"
The plane began losing altitude off the south-west coast of Ireland and headed back east, after it had dropped to an altitude of 10,000 feet, according to FlightRadar24.
At this time, the plane started broadcasting a "7700 squawk code" on its transponder, signifying a general emergency onboard (ranging from engine failure to depressurisation to a medical emergency), BBC reports.
The US' military aircraft carrying senior government officials have suffered mechanical issues in the past as well: a US Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Munich was forced to return to Washington after experiencing a mechanical problem in February.
