A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flying from Denver to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing after its windshield cracked midair, injuring one pilot. United Flight 1093, carrying 134 passengers and six crew members, was cruising at 36,000 feet on October 16 when an unidentified object struck the multilayered windshield. The impact left the pilot bloodied and bruised, with shattered glass covering the cockpit and dashboard.
The aircraft descended to 26,000 feet and safely landed at Salt Lake City International Airport. Passengers were rebooked on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 and reached Los Angeles after a six-hour delay. United Airlines stated that aircraft windshields are designed to maintain safety even if a layer is damaged, and no passengers were injured.
Photos from the incident show cuts on the pilot’s arms and scorch marks at the point of impact. While the cause remains unclear, experts have suggested possibilities ranging from an electrical malfunction to a high-speed strike from space debris or a small meteorite, given the unusual damage pattern and the altitude, well above where birds or hail could cause harm. NASA tracks over 25,000 pieces of space debris larger than four inches.
The incident occurred about 322 kilometers southeast of Salt Lake City. The FAA noted that serious injury from space debris is extremely rare, with an estimated probability of one in a trillion.
This event follows other recent safety incidents involving United Airlines. In late September, a flight in Virginia overshot the runway during heavy rainfall but was safely stopped by the EMAS crushable concrete system. On October 18, a plane at Chicago O’Hare clipped the tail of another aircraft; no injuries were reported, and passengers were safely evacuated.
