The US Defense Secretary Almost Got Sent Away by Boeing, the Special Plane Suddenly Dropped to 10,000 Feet, Emergency Landing

October 15th report, US Secretary of War Hegseth had a heart-stopping moment on his way back from Brussels to Washington. The C-32A special plane he was on experienced a windshield crack while crossing the Atlantic, forcing an emergency descent to 10,000 feet and an emergency landing at the UK's Mildenhall base.

The Pentagon spokesperson later confirmed that the plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing due to the windscreen crack.

The C-32A is a high-level executive special plane modified from the Boeing 757, usually responsible for the travel of the Vice President, Secretary of State, and the First Lady. This incident once again exposed the aging risks of the US senior officials' special planes.

The C-32A has been in service since the late 1990s, and has now been in operation for over 25 years, which is a typical case of over-time use.

Although the US Air Force has repeatedly replaced its communication and avionics systems, the structure and materials of the aircraft remain old.

Especially the cockpit windshield, made of multiple composite materials, is prone to thermal stress cracks due to long-term exposure to high-altitude pressure differences and temperature changes.

Worse still, Boeing's manufacturing and maintenance quality has been questioned in recent years, from the 737 MAX crashes, the 787 material defects, to the door plug incidents, revealing systemic problems in its quality control. This incident involving high-ranking officials has undoubtedly further tarnished Boeing's reputation.

More ironically, Boeing is not only having issues in the civil aviation field, but even the defense authorities have become victims. The Pentagon had planned to launch the C-32B replacement program, purchasing a new generation of executive transport aircraft, but the budget was diverted to supersonic private jet research, causing the project to be stalled.

As a result, US senior officials continue to fly on these aged aircraft, as if sitting in a flying museum. This time, Hegseth was forced to make an emergency landing in the UK, although no one was injured. However, a company that almost sent away its own minister is no longer just a reputation crisis, but a national security hazard.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846124199841792/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.