WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top U.S. homeland security aide Corey Lewandowski entered the cockpit of a government plane without invitation during a flight last year and later fired a pilot for misplacing a blanket, two people familiar with the matter said.
Lewandowski, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, discovered her blanket was missing while traveling with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing internal government operations.
New details about the incident with the pilot suggest Levandowski may have violated safety guidelines set by the U.S. Coast Guard, which operates the plane.
One of the people said Levandowski entered the cockpit before the plane reached 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and the seat belt sign was still on.
Federal Aviation Administration regulations, many of which were tightened after 9/11, severely restrict cockpit access and prohibit interference with crew duties. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule also prohibits airline pilots and staff from engaging in non-essential activities or conversations in the cockpit when flying below 10,000 feet. Civilian aircraft operators who violate the rule could face thousands of dollars in fines, and pilots could face fines or termination.
The U.S. Coast Guard is not legally bound by the FAA’s Sterile Cockpit Rule regulations but has a similar policy, detailed in its 2021 operations manual: “No person shall engage in any conversation or activity that may distract or interfere with the crew’s proper performance of assigned duties during critical phases of flight.”
The manual does not set out specific penalties for breaches of the rules, but states that violations will generally be dealt with through internal disciplinary procedures.
In response to a request for comment from Reuters, Levandowski said in a text message: “No conversation ever took place in the cockpit when the plane took off.”
Levandowski said the facts described by the source were wrong, but he did not respond to questions about whether he entered the cockpit while the plane was climbing and below 10,000 feet.
Aviation safety experts consider the initial ascent to be the most dangerous part of any flight.
Randy Klatt, a flight safety officer with the Aviation Safety Foundation, said the plane was “low and slow” during its initial climb to 10,000 feet, so the pilot had to focus on flight operations.
“This is a vulnerable situation for any aircraft,” Clutter said. “You don’t have excess altitude, or trade airspeed if you need to.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, declined to comment on the flights. They did not respond to Reuters’ request to interview the pilot. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment.
Noem, the top official overseeing Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, has come under scrutiny since federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month on infighting and tensions at the Department of Homeland Security under Noem and Lewandowski, including the firing of pilots.
Pilot fired, then reinstated
In response to a request for comment on Lewandowski’s entry into the cockpit and the tensions at Homeland Security, the White House pointed to Trump’s comments in late January praising Noem and press secretary Carolyn Leavitt’s remarks that Trump had “the utmost confidence and trust” in her.
Lewandowski, a “special government employee” who by law can work up to 130 days per year, is a senior adviser to Noem and has gone on high-profile trips with her. The White House counsel’s office launched an investigation last year into Lewandowski’s use of a quasi-governmental role, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Levandowski volunteered his time and the department was not aware of any such investigation. Lewandowski did not comment when asked by Reuters about his employment status.
During a flight last spring on a Gulfstream jet, the pilot in the cockpit asked Levandowski to return to the cabin until cruising altitude was reached, a person familiar with the matter said.
As the pilots walked back to the cabin late in the flight, Levandowski asked who should be fired because Noem’s blanket had been left behind during a technical change before takeoff, two sources said.
The pilot, an experienced pilot with a long service record, took responsibility for any possible mistakes and Levandowski fired him on the spot, sources said, confirming the Journal report.
However, after Noem and Levandowski arrived at their destination, Coast Guard leadership realized the pilot was needed to get them back to the Washington area, so the agency reinstated him, sources said. The Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard declined to comment on the pilot’s firing and reinstatement. Reuters could not independently confirm the reason for the recovery.
(Reporting by Ted Hutson in Washington and Erin Banko in New York; Additional reporting by Christina Cook in San Francisco; Editing by Craig Timberg and Edmund Klarman)