Report Suggests Security Breach at Joint Base Andrews and Unauthorized Boarding of C-37 VIP Transport Followed Gate Intrusion.
An unknown person without authorization entered Joint Base Andrews outside Washington D.C. on Feb. 4, 2021, and, “gained access to an aircraft”, Air Force Magazine reported.
A reliable source familiar with the facility who has remained anonymous told The Aviationist that an unidentified person gained unauthorized entry to Joint Base Andrews between 13.30 and 14.00 local on Thursday, February 4, 2021 and boarded a C-37 VIP transport without initially being detected. They were subsequently apprehended and detained. Questions about whether the Secret Service, Office of Special Investigations (OSI) of the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice, and/or local law enforcement were involved in the apprehension of the person in question remain unanswered.
The C-37A and B models are twin engine, turbofan VIP transport and special airlift aircraft built by Gulfstream Aerospace and usually employed in the transportation of high ranking government and military officials. The aircraft are operated by the 89th Airlift Wing, 99th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Andrews,the same unit that flies the VC-25A (aka Air Force One when President of the U.S. is aboard). According to official Air Force information, the 99th Squadron at Joint Base Andrews operates four C-37As and received its fifth C-37B in March of 2020.
The story, verified by sources late Thursday, follows a turbulent month in the U.S. capital that included the storming of the Capitol building in Washington D.C. by protesters on January 6, 2021, and a series of questions about security in the U.S. capital. Five people died in the January 6 Capitol incursion. Many of the persons identified in the unauthorized entry of the Capitol building were subsequently arrested based on video and photo identification and tips from around the United States. Concerns about additional unrest following the swearing-in of new U.S. President Joe Biden have remained.
