US Air Force plane with Hegseth lands in UK after windshield crack

A U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an unscheduled emergency landing in the United Kingdom on Wednesday after a crack was discovered in the plane's windshield, Pentagon officials said. The Boeing C32A had departed Brussels following a NATO Defense Ministers meeting and diverted to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk after the problem emerged during the transatlantic leg of the flight.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on social media that the aircraft was diverted because of a crack in the windshield and that the plane landed in the United Kingdom based on standard procedures. Parnell added that everyone aboard, including Secretary Hegseth, was safe. Hegseth posted on social media after the landing, "All good. Thank God. Continue mission!"

Flight tracking data showed the aircraft descended to about 10,000 feet after a possible cabin depressurization was detected roughly 30 minutes into the flight. Emergency descents to that altitude are standard protocol when depressurization is suspected. It was not immediately clear what caused the crack in the windshield, and officials have not released further details about the condition of the aircraft or...