A plane carrying Secretary of State, Marcio Rubio, en route to Munich, Germany, had to turn back to Maryland late Thursday night due to a “mechanical issue,” according to officials.
In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the aircraft returned safely to Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C.
“The Secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft,” said Bruce, who was also onboard the flight. The plane landed without incident shortly before 10 p.m. ET.
CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan, who was aboard the flight, reported that approximately 90 minutes into the journey, the cockpit windshield developed a single crack.
This prompted Air Force pilots to return to the base at a lower altitude.
It remains unclear what caused the crack, according to Brennan. The aircraft involved was a C-32, a modified Boeing 757, as noted by The Associated Press.
Traveling with Rubio was Republican Senator James Risch of Idaho.
Following the incident, Rubio resumed his trip to Munich on a smaller aircraft, although the exact time of his arrival was uncertain.
He is scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference, which starts Friday, alongside Vice President Vance, who traveled separately.
At the conference, Rubio was expected to join Vice President Vance for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meeting comes in the context of recent remarks from both President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about potential negotiations with Russia to end the ongoing war.
It was not immediately clear whether Rubio would arrive in time for that meeting.
The incident puts aviation safety back in focus, following a deadly midair collision on January 29 near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., between an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which claimed 67 lives.
