A pilot from United Airlines sustained injuries after an unknown object hit the cockpit windshield at an altitude of 36,000 feet.
Flight 1093 departed from Denver, heading to Los Angeles on Thursday morning (October 16), carrying 134 passengers and six crew members.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 encountered trouble while cruising over Moab, Utah, when a mysterious object collided with the windshield with significant force.
This impact caused one layer of the aircraft’s multilayered windshield to crack. Photos shared online illustrate the extent of the damage.
As a result, the pilot ended up with bruises and scratches, including numerous glass cuts on his arm.
Social media posts reveal broken glass scattered across the dashboard and the cockpit, prompting the United flight to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City.
In a statement, United Airlines explained: “On Thursday, United Flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield. We arranged for another aircraft to take customers to Los Angeles later that day, and our maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service.”
All passengers safely landed in Salt Lake City before boarding a different plane to Los Angeles International Airport, arriving six hours later than planned.
Among the passengers was Heather Ramsey, who recounted the incident to Fox 11, mentioning she was filming the sunrise when the chaos unfolded.
Ramsey recalled: “One flight attendant raised her voice and told the other, ‘Get back. Get to the back of the aircraft, stop service.’ Unfortunately, we have some bad news. The aircraft has collided with an object.”
She added: “I was just looking out the window thinking, ‘We could go down at any time.’ It was really scary. We were all holding our breath until the very end. You could definitely feel the tension on the entire aircraft.”
Unable to identify what struck the aircraft, Ramsey speculated to Fox 11: “That seems a little high for a bird. People are saying scrap metal, it could be space debris, drones?”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which examines the causes of aviation incidents, is currently investigating.
“The NTSB is investigating a cracked windscreen on a Boeing 737-8 during cruise flight near Moab, Utah, Thursday,” the agency stated.
They further noted: “Operating as United Flight 1093 from DEN to LAX, airplane diverted safely to SLC. NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data. Windscreen being sent to NTSB laboratories for examination.”