United Airlines Flight 1093 was forced to land in Salt Lake City at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 after a cracked windshield sent the crew scrambling. The 737 MAX 8 was flying from Denver to Los Angeles when an object struck the plexiglass at 36,000 ft, shattering the cockpit window.
The pilot announced the emergency on the intercom, saying a window had shattered and that the crew would need to exit at the nearest airport. The passengers and six crew members were safely transferred to another United flight that later that day to continue inbound to Los Angeles.
Passengers reported the impact felt like a sudden jolt. “The pilot told us the cockpit window had broken, and we had to make an emergency landing,” said Heather Ramsey, a passenger who made the call to FOX 11.
Word quickly spread that the object might have been off‑world debris. A United Airlines spokesperson clarified the damage was caused by a weather balloon. WindBorne Systems— a California company that designs high‑altitude weather balloons— confirmed it had launched a balloon that day and has since filed a preliminary report with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“We saw the foreign object debris hit the windshield at about 36,000 ft, and our analysis points to a WindBorne balloon,” the company said. WindBorne said its balloons are built to survive accidents and had coordinated with the FAA throughout its operations.
The company has already rolled out software changes to shorten the 30,000‑ to 40,000‑ft engagement window for future flights, and is working on upgraded hardware to reduce impact force. Both the FAA and NTSB are continuing the investigation, and no serious injuries were reported.
United Airlines confirmed the damaged aircraft is undergoing maintenance and will reenter service once the repair is complete. The incident remains under investigation, with updates pending from the FAA, the NTSB, and WindBorne Systems.
Source: New York Post
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