A United States Department of State aircraft was forced to return to Malta International Airport this morning after declaring an emergency shortly after departure.The De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300, registered N563AW and operating under the callsign STATE50, took off from LMML at around 7.20am on 5th July.According to Aviation MT on Facebook, the aircraft declared an emergency while flying approximately 30 nautical miles west of Gozo before turning back towards Malta. The turboprop landed safely just minutes later, with no injuries reported. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)Images captured after landing show the aircraft taxiing back to its stand with one of its engines shut down, suggesting an engine malfunction may have triggered the emergency.While the exact cause has not yet been officially confirmed, the aircraft’s return was also tracked and flagged as an emergency by Flightradar24.The aircraft is operated by the United States Department of State and is frequently used for government transport missions.Video credits to Aviation MT on Facebook•