Trump Force Two carrying JD Vance forced to return to airport after mid-flight scare

• Vance's chartered 737 was forced back to Milwaukee after a problem with door 
• It made an emergency landing before taking off again for Cincinnati 
• READ MORE: Follow the day's political developments on our live blog 

J.D. Vance's campaign plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a malfunction in flight on Friday afternoon.

The chartered Boeing 737 was forced to return to Milwaukee, where Donald Trump's running mate had appeared earlier with local police officers.

'The pilot advised there was a malfunction with the door seal. After declaring an emergency, Trump Force Two returned to Milwaukee,' said spokeswoman Taylor Van Kirk.

'As soon as the issue was resolved, the plane returned to its originally planned flight path back to Cincinnati.'

Cincinnati is the Ohio senator's home base and he has been making day trips to campaign events. 

From there he has been criss-crossing battleground states in the 737, with key staff, Secret Service agents and a handful of journalists, since being named as Trump's VP pick. 

On Friday, he was also accompanied by his wife Usha and dog Atlas.

Photojournalist Asher Heimermann, who witnessed the landing, said the Milwaukee County Fire Department was on the scene and inspected the plane before it took off again for its intended destination.

Scanner traffic revealed 43 people were on board. 

While Trump travels on his own private Boeing 757, kitted out with a bedroom and state-of-the-art music system, Vance's is a more prosaic ride.

It features two rows of seats down its length, augmented by a couple of conference tables.  

The plane's tail is covered with names of donors. And the inside is decorated with campaign slogans (such as 'Drain the Swamp of Washington Corruption').

Last week it touched off a Tarmac showdown when it landed minutes after Kamala Harris's Air Force Two at Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vance and his entourage headed over to see if he could snag a word with the vice president.

'I just wanted to check out my future plane,' he joked afterwards.

It is the latest aviation problem to hit the campaign. 

On Friday Trump's plane was forced to divert during a trip to Montana because of a mechanical issue. It landed in Billings where the former president switched planes to continue his journey to Bozeman where he held a rally.

It later emerged he had been traveling on a private jet once owned by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.