Reporter's Notebook: What It Was Like Aboard the Mike Pence Plane

— -- I've been covering and traveling with Mike Pence since he was first tapped as Donald Trump's running mate this summer. Landings on his plane have always been rough -- it's been running joke among passengers. Reporters sitting at the back of the plane once joked they were busy pre-writing the “Pence Plane Skids Off the Runway” story. We frequently filmed bouncy landings on our cellphones and laughed them off.

But Thursday night's landing wasn’t a joke.

As Pence’s plane, the Eastern Airlines Boeing 737, descended into New York’s LaGuardia Airport, one reporter joked it was time to “brace for impact.” Another commented, “you know, there’s a 50-50 chance.” There was a little turbulence, but nothing unusual. One reporter was sleeping, so another decided to film him “jumping out his seat” at what was sure to be a bumpy landing.

The plane had an especially rough landing flying into Fort Dodge, Iowa, earlier in the day. After bouncing off the Iowa runway, the jet then came down hard on the tarmac when the wheels touched down a second time.

We were later grounded for an hour before departing for New York due to bad weather, according to the flight crew. Pence decided to kill time by taking advantage of the sunny, crisp afternoon in Iowa by playing football on a field beside the plane. His staffers, Secret Service agents, and some members of the media joined him.

Last night in New York, the plane touched down hard on the tarmac -- the way it normally does. It continued advancing for a few seconds, but it soon became clear the plane wasn’t braking properly. The plane bounced a little, the ground a little shakier. Objects flew off of seats, slid down the walkway.

A plane will usually gradually slow down on the tarmac and eventually taxi for a little bit until it reaches a complete stop, but within a matter of seconds, Pence’s plane came to a sudden halt. We all remained calm, some of us even laughing once the plane stopped. This was certainly the worst landing we’d had, but most of us figured this was just another bad landing. I tried to look out the window, but it was dark and raining outside, so all I could see were some foggy lights in the distance.

“Oh my God,” a reporter exclaimed.

“Remain seated, remain seated,” the pilot told us on the P.A. system, before informing us that the “equipment” was fine.

“What was that?” I wondered aloud.

“I smell rubber,” remarked another journalist. I smelled it too -- that was the first sign something had gone seriously wrong. The lead Secret Service agent rushed to the front of the plane to make sure Pence was OK.

He was fine, and soon came to check on us. He asked if reporters were OK, then informed us there was mud on the windows, and that it appeared we were on the grass.

The lead agent then explained we were indeed off the runway, there were no injuries, the plane was intact, and emergency crews were on the way.

Everybody got on the phone to alert their respective newsrooms. Agents got off the plane first, then we were quickly ushered off. I was the first one off, greeted by two firefighters at the top of the staircase.

At first I was blinded by the lights of police cars and firetrucks. Then I saw the tarmac in pieces -- two big tracks in the cement where the wheels had hit. We’d later learn that part of the tarmac was designed to help stop the plane.

Luckily, it did its job.