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Jill Biden’s plane forced to turn back as cracks appear on windshield

‘Everyone is safe’

Maroosha Muzaffar
Tuesday 04 April 2023 04:21 BST
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File: Jill Biden
File: Jill Biden (AFP via Getty Images)

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Jill Biden’s plane was forced to turn back to Denver, Colorado on Monday after the aircraft developed cracks on the windshield – an emergency which officials claimed was “non-threatening”.

“The aircrew elected to divert the aircraft back to Denver International Airport due to a non-threatening windshield crack to mitigate risks associated with the integrity of the windshield and icing conditions at their destination,” a spokesperson for the US Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing said.

It was stated that the crew and the passengers returned safely without any injuries.

The first lady was on her way to Michigan from Denver.

First lady’s press secretary Vanessa Valdivia was quoted as saying by CBS News that “everyone is safe” after the cracked windshield episode.

The US Secret Service also said that there was “no safety threat” to Ms Biden or her staff.

The first lady was in Colorado to highlight the president’s “Investing In America” initiative and other economic policies as part of a two-day, four-state visit.

She also gave a speech to a bipartisan group of state legislators, discussing her husband’s administration’s efforts to steer more graduating high schoolers towards career training programmes.

Ms Biden championed the president’s efforts to create millions of jobs in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing.

The first lady was headed to another event in Michigan but after the plane episode, the event was postponed to a later date, according to her staff.

Her trips to Maine and Vermont on Wednesday remain unchanged.

Ms Valdivia later tweeted: “Everyone is safe. We’re back on the ground in Denver.”

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