Politico reported Wednesday that the plane former President Donald Trump was flying in was forced to make an emergency landing after leaving a Republican Party donor retreat in New Orleans over the weekend. The Washington Post reported that the plane was owned by a company in Utah that is listed as a trustee.
The Trump plane took off for Mar-a-Lago and was in the air somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes when one of the engines failed. The pilot then returned to the airport.
The communications between air traffic control and the Trump pilot recorded there was a problem of an "emergency nature," the report said, citing someone briefed on the recording.
Once the plane landed it evidently became clear that it couldn't fly, and the Republican Party "scrambled" to find another GOP donor who would lend Trump their plane to fly home.
Trump's own personal plane previously sat unused for years, requiring considerable work. A 2021 CNN report described it as the once glorious backdrop to his campaign rallies. But after he was kicked out of office it sat on an Orange County, New York ramp north of Manhattan with some assuming it would never fly again.
"One engine is missing parts. The other is shrink-wrapped in plastic. The cost to fix and get it flyable could reach well into the high six-figures, a price-tag Trump doesn't appear to be dealing with right now," said CNN. "Though the current state of his finances aren't public, the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the hospitality industry home to so many of his businesses."
The first flight took off from New York Stewart (SWF) at 12:25 ET on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 heading to Chennault International (CWF). It had been airborne for about "two hours when it appeared to make an unscheduled stop," reported SimpleFlying.com.
"As the aircraft was passing Nashville to the south, it abruptly turned to the north and began a loop around to head into Nashville International (BNA)," said the report.
Recordings from air traffic control from that incident recorded, "It looks like we have an emergency inbound."
At 1409EST (About 1 min after N757AF started descending) BNA approach advised RPA3549 that there was an "emergency inbound." (This from 118.400)https://t.co/L5TSMPYrCr
— Henry Bright (@HCBright10) November 1, 2021
In May 2021, Trump released a statement saying, "It will soon be brought to a Louisiana service facility for the completion of work, inspection and updating of Rolls-Royce engines, and a brand new paint job. When completed, it will be better than ever, and again used at upcoming rallies!"
It's unclear if Trump's plane is still undergoing repairs and why he wasn't using it over the donor plane.
