2026年2月23日 上午11:06 UTC / 路透社
作者：泰德·赫森（Ted Hesson）和艾琳·班科（Erin Banco）
华盛顿，2月23日（路透社）- 两名知情人士透露，去年一次飞行中，美国国土安全部高级助手科里·莱万多夫斯基（Corey Lewandowski）未经邀请擅自进入政府飞机驾驶舱，随后因一条毛毯摆放不当解雇了一名飞行员。
知情人士称，莱万多夫斯基是总统唐纳德·特朗普的长期盟友，当时正与国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆（Kristi Noem）一同出行，两人发现诺姆的毛毯不见了。他们要求匿名，以便讨论政府内部运作。
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关于飞行员事件的新细节表明，莱万多夫斯基可能违反了负责运营该飞机的美国海岸警卫队制定的安全准则。
其中一名知情人士称，飞机尚未爬升至10,000英尺（3,048米）且系好安全带指示灯仍亮着时，莱万多夫斯基就进入了驾驶舱。
美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的多项规定在”9·11″事件后得到收紧，这些规定严格限制驾驶舱准入，并禁止干扰机组人员执行职责。FAA的一项规定还禁止航空公司飞行员和工作人员在飞机爬升至10,000英尺以下时进行非必要活动或交谈，违反该规定的民用航空运营商可能面临数千美元罚款，而飞行员可能面临罚款或解雇。
美国海岸警卫队不受FAA”无菌驾驶舱规则”的法律约束，但有类似政策，在2021年操作手册中明确规定：”任何人员在飞行关键阶段，不得进行任何可能分散或干扰机组人员正确履行其指定职责的交谈或活动。”
该手册未规定违反该规则的具体处罚，但指出违规行为通常将通过内部纪律程序处理。
针对路透社的置评请求，莱万多夫斯基在短信中回应称：”起飞时驾驶舱内从未有过交谈。”
莱万多夫斯基称消息来源描述的事实是错误的，但他未回应自己是否在飞机爬升且仍低于10,000英尺时进入驾驶舱。
航空安全专家认为，初始爬升阶段是任何飞行中风险最高的部分之一。
航空安全基金会（The Foundation for Aviation Safety）的飞行安全官员兰迪·克拉特（Randy Klatt）表示，在爬升至10,000英尺的初始阶段，飞机处于”低空低速”状态，飞行员专注于飞行操作至关重要。
“这对任何飞机来说都是一个脆弱的情况，”克拉特说，”如果需要，你没有多余的高度或空速可用来交换。”
美国国土安全部（DHS）及下属的美国海岸警卫队拒绝对此航班置评。他们未回应路透社要求采访飞行员的请求。联邦航空管理局也未回应置评请求。
诺姆是负责特朗普激进移民打击行动的高级官员，1月份联邦移民特工在明尼阿波利斯击毙两名美国公民后，她受到了严厉审查。本月早些时候，《华尔街日报》报道了国土安全部在诺姆和莱万多夫斯基领导下存在内斗和紧张局势，包括解雇飞行员一事。
飞行员被解雇后又复职
针对莱万多夫斯基进入驾驶舱及国土安全部紧张局势的置评请求，白宫援引特朗普1月底对诺姆的赞扬言论以及新闻秘书卡罗琳·利维特（Karoline Leavitt）称特朗普”对她极为信任和有信心”的表态进行回应。
莱万多夫斯基是一名”特别政府雇员”，根据法律每年最多可工作130天，他是诺姆的高级顾问，曾多次陪同她参加高调行程。《华尔街日报》报道称，白宫法律顾问办公室去年对莱万多夫斯基使用准政府角色展开调查。
国土安全部发言人表示，莱万多夫斯基是志愿提供时间，该部门未意识到任何此类调查。当路透社询问莱万多夫斯基的就业状况时，他未予置评。
去年春季的一次飞行中，乘坐的是湾流喷气式飞机。一名知情人士称，驾驶舱内的飞行员要求莱万多夫斯基在飞机爬升至巡航高度前返回客舱。
两位知情人士称，飞行后期飞行员回到客舱后，莱万多夫斯基询问谁应该被解雇，因为起飞前因技术原因换机时诺姆的毛毯被遗留在了原飞机上。
消息人士证实了《华尔街日报》的报道，称该飞行员是一名经验丰富、服役记录良好的飞行员，对可能的失误承担了责任，而莱万多夫斯基当场解雇了他。
然而，当诺姆和莱万多夫斯基抵达目的地后，海岸警卫队领导层意识到需要该飞行员将他们飞回落华盛顿地区，因此该飞行员被重新聘用。国土安全部和海岸警卫队拒绝对飞行员的解雇和复职置评。路透社无法独立确认复职原因。
泰德·赫森在华盛顿报道，艾琳·班科在纽约报道；克里斯蒂娜·库克（Kristina Cooke）在旧金山补充报道；编辑：克雷格·廷伯格（Craig Timberg）和埃德蒙·克拉曼（Edmund Klamann）
我们的标准：汤姆森路透社信任原则。
Top Noem aide entered cockpit before firing pilot over missing blanket, sources say
February 23, 2026 11:06 AM UTC / Reuters
By Ted Hesson and Erin Banco
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.
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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.
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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
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.