WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Top U.S. homeland security aide Corey Lewandowski entered the cockpit of a government jet uninvited during a flight last year, after which he fired a pilot over a misplaced blanket, two people familiar with the matter said.
Lewandowski, a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, was traveling with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when they discovered her blanket was missing, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal government operations.
The new details about the pilot incident suggest Lewandowski may have violated the safety guidelines set out by the U.S. Coast Guard, which operated the plane.
Lewandowski entered the cockpit before the plane had reached 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and while the seatbelt sign remained on, one of the people said.
Federal Aviation Administration rules, several of which were tightened after 9/11, strictly limit cockpit access and prohibit interfering with aircraft crew duties. An FAA regulation also prohibits airline pilots and staff from engaging in non-essential activities or conversations in the cockpit while operating under 10,000 feet, and civil aircraft operators that violate that rule could face thousands of dollars in fines while pilots could face fines or termination.
The U.S. Coast Guard is not legally bound by the FAA’s regulation, known as the “sterile cockpit rule,” but has a similar policy, spelled out in a 2021 operations manual: “No person shall engage in any conversation or activity that could distract or interfere with a flight crewmember properly conducting their assigned duties during critical phases of flight.”
The manual does not provide a specific penalty for violating the rule, but states that rule violations generally will be handled through internal disciplinary processes.
In response to a Reuters request for comment, Lewandowski said in a text message: “There was never a conversation in the cockpit when the flight was taking off.”
Lewandowski said the facts as related by the sources were wrong but he did not respond on whether he entered the cockpit while the plane was climbing and still under 10,000 feet.
Aviation safety experts consider the initial ascent among the riskiest parts of any flight.
Randy Klatt, a flight safety officer with The Foundation for Aviation Safety, said planes are “low and slow” during the initial climb to 10,000 feet, making it important for pilots to focus on flight operations.
“This is a vulnerable situation for any aircraft,” Klatt said. “You don’t have the altitude to spare, or trade for airspeed if needed.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, which falls under DHS, declined to comment on the flight in question. They did not respond to a Reuters request to interview the pilots. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment.
Noem, a top official overseeing Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, has come under intense scrutiny after 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 DHS under Noem and Lewandowski, including the firing of the pilot.
PILOT FIRED, THEN REINSTATED
In response to a request for comment about Lewandowski entering the cockpit and about tensions at DHS, the White House referred to remarks in late January by Trump praising Noem and remarks by press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump had the “utmost confidence and trust” in her.
Lewandowski, a “special government employee” who by law is allowed to work up to 130 days annually, is a senior Noem adviser and has traveled on high-profile trips with her. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House Counsel’s Office opened an investigation into Lewandowski’s use of the quasi-government role last year.
The DHS spokesperson said that Lewandowski volunteers his time and that the department was not aware of any such investigation. Lewandowski did not comment when asked by Reuters about his employment status.
During the flight last spring, which was on a Gulfstream jet, the pilots in the cockpit asked Lewandowski to return to the cabin until they had reached cruising altitude, one of the people familiar with the incident said.
When the pilot walked back into the cabin later in the flight, the two sources said, Lewandowski asked who should be fired because Noem’s blanket had been left behind when they switched planes for technical reasons before take-off.
The pilot, an accomplished flyer with a long record of service, took responsibility for any possible mistake and Lewandowski fired him on the spot, the sources said, confirming the Wall Street Journal report.
However, once Noem and Lewandowski reached their destination, Coast Guard leadership realized the pilot would be needed to fly them back to the Washington region and he was reinstated by the agency, the sources said. DHS and the Coast Guard declined to comment on the pilot’s firing and reinstatement. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the reason for the reinstatement.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington and Erin Banco in New York; Additional reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Craig Timberg and Edmund Klamann)
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