Politics | Marco Rubio Air Force Plane Carrying Rubio Returns to Washington Mechanical issue forces plane to return mid-flight By Newser.AI Read our AI policy Posted Feb 14, 2025 1:27 AM CST Copied U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane as he departs Joint Base Andrews, Md., for the Munich Security Conference, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP) An Air Force jet carrying US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aborted its journey to the Munich Security Conference due to a mechanical fault Thursday night. The incident forced a return to Washington just 90 minutes after departing from Joint Base Andrews. An issue with the cockpit windshield of the C-32, a converted Boeing 757, led to the diversion. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said: "This evening, en route from Washington to Munich, the plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue." She added: "The plane has turned around and is returning to Joint Base Andrews." Rubio intends to continue his journey on a different aircraft to Germany and the Middle East. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP) Read These Next President asks nation's top generals to loosen up. Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. Federal judge rips into Trump himself in deportation ruling. Report an error