NH Congressional Delegation Staff Makes Emergency Landing in NJ

A KC-46A Pegasus refueling plane carrying 16 staff members of the New Hampshire congressional delegation from the Pease Air National Guard Base made an emergency landing at a military base in New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Reps. Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster were not on board, according to the New Hampshire National Guard.

The staffers were on board one of two planes as part of an orientation flight when the refueling boom hoist cable developed a problem. They landed at the Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in Ocean County, New Jersey, while the second plane was diverted to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

A third jet, a KC-46A that had bound for Pease from Florida, stopped at the Joint Base to pick up the staffers.

"Our office is glad that everyone is okay and grateful for those who worked to ensure that the aircrafts landed safely," Hassan spokeswoman Laura Epstein said in a statement to Seacoast Current.

"Our office is grateful to the Guard’s professionalism in getting everyone onboard to safety," Shaheen spokeswoman Sam Paisley said.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH