A United Airlines pilot was injured and forced to make an emergency landing after an unidentified object struck and shattered the windshield of a Boeing 737 cruising at 36,000 feet.
Photos shared online appear to show the pilot with bleeding and bruised arms, injuries consistent with glass cuts.
Broken glass reportedly covered the cockpit’s dashboard, and other images show what look like scorch marks near the point of impact.
Photos shared on social media show the pilot’s arm cut and bloodied following the incident.
United Airlines Flight 1093, traveling from Denver to Los Angeles, was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City on Thursday.
Online observers speculated that the impact could have been caused by space debris or even a meteor striking the jet.
However, a 2023 report from the Federal Aviation Administration estimated the odds of space debris seriously injuring a commercial airline passenger at roughly one in a trillion.
Experts suggested that the cracked windshield could have resulted from an electrical malfunction, though the presence of scorch marks and shattered glass indicates the aircraft was likely struck by an external object.
Typically, birds, hail, and other debris collide with planes at lower altitudes. What makes this case unusual is that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was cruising at 36,000 feet — well above the range of such hazards.
“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,” United Airlines said in a statement.
According to reports, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 remains grounded in Salt Lake City as maintenance crews continue their inspection.
The event comes amid growing concern about the increasing amount of debris orbiting Earth. NASA currently tracks more than 25,000 pieces of space debris larger than four inches across — each capable of causing significant damage if it collides with an aircraft or satellite.
