Elon Musk flies to Eastern Sierra after xAI legal setbacks and DOJ intervention

Elon Musk flew from Brownsville to Eastern Sierra Regional Airport on June 19, 2026, aboard his Gulfstream G650ER (N628TS). His aircraft was recorded on a brief local hop the following morning, suggesting he remained in the remote mountain region.

The trip comes days after a federal judge dismissed xAI’s trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI with prejudice, marking Musk’s second loss to Sam Altman’s company in a month, per a Reuters report on June 16 [coingape.com](https://coingape.com/elon-musk-loses-against-openai-again-us-judge-dismisses-xai-trade-secret-suit/). Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice intervened on June 17 to shield xAI’s unpermitted gas turbines in Memphis, arguing national security, as covered by Electrek [electrek.co](https://electrek.co/2026/06/17/trump-doj-xai-gas-turbines-memphis-national-security/).

The Eastern Sierra stop is an unusual detour for Musk, whose recent flights show heavy shuttling between Brownsville, Memphis, and California tech hubs. The world’s richest person may have sought a quiet moment after a bruising legal week.