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NTSB Probes United 737 Windshield Crack After High-Altitude Strike Forces Salt Lake City Diversion

Investigators are analyzing the damaged windscreen in a lab to pinpoint the cause.

Overview

  • United Flight 1093, a Boeing 737-8 from Denver to Los Angeles, suffered windscreen damage near Moab, Utah, at about 36,000 feet on Oct. 16.
  • The aircraft descended roughly 10,000 feet and diverted to Salt Lake City, landing safely before passengers were rebooked to Los Angeles with about a six-hour delay.
  • The NTSB says it is gathering radar, weather and flight‑recorder data, and has taken the windscreen to its laboratories for examination.
  • One minor injury onboard was confirmed by the Salt Lake City Fire Department, and widely shared photos show cockpit glass and a pilot’s cut forearm that outlets have not independently verified.
  • The cause remains unconfirmed, with possibilities reported by experts and media including space debris, a meteorite, electrical arcing or a weather‑balloon payload, as the FAA notes the odds of a space‑debris strike are less than one in a trillion.