An unidentified flying object broke the windscreen of a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, reportedly injuring the pilot
United Flight 1093 to Los Angeles took off from Denver, Colorado, on Thursday with 140 people on board. But as it was flying over Utah, approximately 40 minutes after its departure, the aircraft began descending unexpectedly and was diverted to Salt Lake City.
RT reports: Unverified images on social media appear to show fuselage damage and broken glass in the cockpit, as well as blood on the pilot’s arm.
According to aviation news website AvBrief.com, the captain said the plane was hit by “space debris.” AvBrief added that investigators are focusing on the theory that the aircraft collided with a piece of a weather balloon.
Passenger Heather Ramsey told FOX 11 that the crew had announced over the intercom that the plane had “collided with an object.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Sunday that it was investigating a cracked windscreen on the aircraft. United confirmed that the windshield had been damaged but did not comment further.