US Vice-Presidential Candidate, JD Vance’s Charter Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Malfunction
The Boeing 737 had just taken off from Milwaukee, where Vance was attending a campaign event with local police officers.
A charter plane carrying JD Vance, the United States Republican vice-presidential candidate, was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday due to a door malfunction.
The Boeing 737 had just taken off from Milwaukee, where Vance was attending a campaign event with local police officers.
Shortly after departure, the crew detected the malfunction and decided to return to the airport for immediate repairs.
BBC reports that after repairs were completed, the plane continued to Cincinnati, where Mr. Vance resides. Last week, former President Donald Trump was forced to make an emergency landing while en route to a rally in Montana.
Mr Vance was travelling with his wife Usha, their dog Atlas, his campaign team, and reporters when the emergency was declared on Friday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Vance, Taylor VanKirk, stated, “The pilot reported a malfunction with the door seal.”
She added, “After declaring an emergency, Trump Force Two returned to Milwaukee. Once the issue was resolved, the plane resumed its flight path to Cincinnati.”
According to the New York Times, the pilot announced about four minutes into the flight that passengers should fasten their seatbelts. The paper reported that Secret Service agents on board reacted with confusion and laughter, and it wasn’t immediately clear to some passengers that there was an emergency until after the plane landed.
The pilot later apologized over the intercom for the “elevated heart rates.”
Earlier this month, planes belonging to both Mr Vance and Vice President Kamala Harris were coincidentally parked near each other in Wisconsin. Mr Vance, having a “bit of fun,” visited the aircraft used by each U.S. vice president and joked to reporters, “I just wanted to check out my future plane.”
In May, Trump’s plane had a minor incident, clipping a parked private jet while taxiing on a Florida tarmac.
However, no injuries were reported, and it was unclear if Trump was on board the aircraft at the time. Hours earlier, he had appeared at a rally in New Jersey.
