Former President Donald Trump’s private plane made an emergency landing on Saturday evening after one of its four engines failed about 20 minutes into the flight over the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident occurred after the former president departed following a speech at a Republican National Committee donor event in New Orleans, according to a report by Politico.
“The plane was in the air for between 20 and 30 minutes before one of the engines failed and the pilot of the private plane decided to turn around and return to the New Orleans airport, one of the sources said. The plane was en route to Palm Beach, Fla., where Trump resides at his Mar-a-Lago estate,” Politico noted.
“Audio of the communications between the pilot and the air traffic control tower revealed that the landing was described as ’emergency in nature,’ according to the source, who had been briefed on the recording,” the report added.
https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1501641063718690820
The Washington Post added additional details regarding the flight.
“The flight had gone approximately 75 miles after taking off from New Orleans Lakefront Airport, reaching an altitude of about 28,000 feet before turning around, according to tracking data from ADSBexchange.com. The Dassault Falcon 900 carried a retinue of Secret Service agents, other support staff, Trump and some of his advisers, the people said. One of the plane’s engines failed, according to people familiar with the episode,” The Post reported.
“The tracking data, reviewed by The Washington Post, show the plane started its journey in Texas, flew to Palm Beach on Saturday afternoon and then went to New Orleans. A map of the evening flight shows the plane was over the water when it turned around and went back to New Orleans, heading for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport,” the report added.
The plane allegedly belonged to an unnamed Trump donor, according to the report.
No report of injuries was noted regarding the incident. The plane reportedly carried the former president, Secret Service agents, along with Trump staff and advisers.
Trump secured another plane following the emergency landing and arrived in Florida early Sunday. A Trump spokesperson has declined to comment on the incident and no statement has been made by the former president or his spokesperson.
Trump took the opportunity to blast the Biden administration’s slow response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during his Saturday speech.
“Are all of these nations going to stand by and watch perhaps millions of people be slaughtered as the onslaught continues?” Trump said, according to a CBS News report. “At what point do countries say, ‘No, we can’t take this massive crime against humanity?’ We can’t let it happen. We can’t let it continue to happen.”
Trump also continued to fuel speculation regarding a potential 2024 White House comeback bid during the donor event.
“We will see a Republican president reclaim that magnificent White House in 2024,” Trump said. “I wonder who that might be.”