The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States stated on Sunday that they are investigating an incident from last week involving a United Airlines aircraft where the windshield shattered, forcing the flight to divert and make an emergency landing at another airport.
According to the NTSB, the incident occurred on Thursday when a Boeing 737-8 aircraft operated by United Airlines experienced a sudden windshield rupture during cruise flight. The flight, United Airlines Flight 1093, was en route from Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles, California, but had to change course and safely landed in Salt Lake City, Utah after the windshield damage near Moab, Utah.
The NTSB is currently collecting radar, weather, and flight recorder data related to the incident. They mentioned in a social media post that the windshield fragments are being sent to the NTSB’s laboratory for examination.
Officials from the NTSB explained that airplanes are equipped with multiple layers of windshields designed so that if one layer is compromised, the windshield can still function.
In a statement, a United Airlines spokesperson mentioned that Flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address the issue of damaged multi-layered windshield. Passengers were then accommodated on another aircraft to continue their journey to Los Angeles as the maintenance team worked on returning the affected aircraft to service.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft involved in the incident was carrying approximately 134 passengers and 6 crew members at the time.
While officials did not specify if there were any injuries when the windshield shattered, circulating online photos showed the pilot with blood and bruises on their arms, consistent with glass scratch marks.
Photos revealed glass shards scattered across the instrument panel and cockpit, with marks on the windshield suggesting signs of impact.
Investigators from the NTSB will try to determine if any object struck the windshield of the Boeing 737 aircraft during flight and what that object might have been.
Due to the partial federal government shutdown, many communication personnel from the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are on leave, resulting in limited information available at this time.