A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City last week after a mysterious object hit the windshield at 36,000 feet, causing it to crack.
According to Flight Radar24’s flight tracking data, the plane, flying from Denver to Los Angesles, was cruising at 36,000 feet when it was hit by an object, causing damage to the windshield.
Following standard procedures, the flight descended to a lower altitude and made an emergency landing at Utah’s Salt Lake City International Airport.
The cracked windshield is being taken to the National Transportation Safety Board’s laboratory to determine the cause of damage further, ABC News reported.
“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, according to local media outlet KTLA.
On October 16, 2025, United Airlines flight UA1093, a Boeing 737 MAX, had to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City after its windshield was cracked by an unknown object while flying from Denver to Los Angeles. One pilot sustained arm injuries, and while the exact cause is… pic.twitter.com/ByXPRyOjXZ
— Ranger H (@RangerH338) October 19, 2025
Cause of incident remains uncertain
Aircraft windshields are designed using several layers to withstand impacts from objects like birds, debris or even weather.
Experts have ruled out the possibility of a bird strike, stating that it is rare for birds to fly at such a high altitude.
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“You’re talking about a bird at that altitude. It’s very, very rare to say the least, you’re talking about maybe a drone, a weather balloon, anything of that nature that has enough mass to be able to cause this kind of shattering,” said ABC News aviation analyst John Nance.
Some observers suggested that the damage to the plane’s windshield could have been caused by space debris or a meteor. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) noted that it is extremely unlikely for space debris to injure a commercial passenger plane.
Heather Ramsey, a college student and a passenger aboard the flight, recalled that about 50 minutes into the journey, she sensed something was wrong. Before any announcements were made, she overheard a flight attendant raising her voice sharply and telling one of her colleagues to stop the service and move back to the cabin.
Recalling the pilot’s, message, Ramsey told ABC News, “The aircraft has collided with an object and a window in the cockpit has shattered, so we need to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City.”
