New York: A United Airlines Flight, travelling from Denver to Los Angeles in the United States, survived a scare following a bizarre incident.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which was carrying 140 passengers and crew, was forced to make an emergency landing after its windshield cracked mid flight.
The plane — flight No. UA1093 — was flying at 36,000 feet when a mystery object shattered its windshield.
One of the pilots was injured and the cockpit suffered damages.
According to reports, the aircraft descended to 26,000 feet before landing safely at Salt Lake City International Airport.
All passengers were later rebooked on another aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, and reached Los Angeles after a six-hour delay.
United Airlines confirmed that no passenger was injured, and described the pilot’s injury as minor bruising. The airline has not yet commented on the cause of the windshield crack.
Photos showing the pilot’s arms bleeding and bruised — consistent with cuts from shattered glass – have been circulating on social media platforms.
Windshield SHATTERS on Boeing 737 MAX flying from Denver to LA
‘Space debris or small meteorite’ as officials cause — pilot injured pic.twitter.com/bpqmWCz6AU
— RT (@RT_com) October 19, 2025
Windshield cracks, though rare, are not entirely unheard of in aviation.
In this case, the aircraft was 322 kilometres southeast of Salt Lake City when the crew spotted the damage and decided to divert. The pilots followed emergency procedures, descending and landing safely.
According to aviation experts and followers, space debris or a small meteorite could have caused the impact, based on the scorch marks and unusual damage pattern on the windshield.
Aeroplane windshields are designed to withstand bird strikes and significant pressure changes, but any object travelling at high speed could breach the threshold.
