Passengers were later rebooked on a replacement Boeing 737 MAX 9, arriving in Los Angeles six hours behind schedule. Reports from Airlive indicate that the captain observed an object striking the plane, which he described as possibly “space debris.” One pilot’s arm has bruises, according to pictures released by aviation insider JonNYC.
High-Altitude hail or space debris?
Aviation enthusiasts have speculated that the cracked windshield on the United Airlines 737 MAX 8 could have been caused by space debris or a small meteorite, based on scorch patterns and impact marks. While
Photos of the aircraft’s exterior also show numerous marks on the nose, consistent with hail damage. However, the unusual windshield crack at cruising altitude has fueled alternative theories, including the space debris hypothesis, though there is currently limited data to support it.
According to a 2023 FAA report, the likelihood of a passenger being injured by falling space debris is extremely low—less than one in a trillion. The report calculated a global annual chance of just 0.1 per cent that space debris would cause a single aviation casualty.
However, these claims remain unverified.
Multiple-layer windshield cracked
According to airlive, United originally described the problem as “a crack in one layer of its windshield,” alluding to the multi-ply construction of the cockpit windows. Modern aircraft windshields are made of several layers of glass and plastic that are especially made to resist pressure changes, hail, and bird strikes, the outlet noted.
Passenger delay
In order to finish the trip, United used a replacement Boeing 737 MAX 9, and passengers finally arrived in Los Angeles about six hours later than planned. While the damaged aircraft was being inspected in Salt Lake City, the airline provided accommodations for the impacted passengers.
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