A United Airlines pilot was injured when a mystery object struck the windshield of a Boeing 737 at 36,000 feet, forcing an emergency landing. United Flight 1093, travelling from Denver to Los Angeles on
Thursday, landed safely in Salt Lake City, where it remains grounded.
United said, “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,” as per local media outlet KTLA.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Sunday that it is investigating a cracked windshield on a Boeing 737-8 near Moab, Utah.
The NTSB is investigating a cracked windscreen on a Boeing 737-8 during cruise flight near Moab, Utah, Thursday. Operating as United flight 1093 from DEN to LAX, airplane diverted safely to SLC. NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data. Windscreen being sent to NTSB…
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) October 19, 2025
Airplane Struck By Space Debris?
Photos shared online show the pilot’s arms bleeding and bruised, consistent with glass cuts. Broken glass covered the cockpit dashboard, and some images appear to show scorch marks at the point of impact.
Some observers suggested the strike could have been caused by space debris or a meteor.
United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX hit by suspected space debris midair at 36,000 ft – the first incident of its kind in aviation history
byu/Own_Pin5680 inDamnthatsinteresting
The image was also shared on the social media platform Reddit.
Is Internet Amused Or Shocked?
A user wrote, “Experts believe it to be a falling metal space debris or a small meteorite, neither of which has ever happened before, making this incident the first of its kind in Aviation history.”
Someone wrote, “The crazy thing is gonna be that this will eventually be a more common occurrence due to the absurd amount of trash in space.”
A comment read, “We are putting more and more stuff in now Earth orbit. The amount of space debris is increasing faster than ever. Yet it is pretty unlikely that debris will survive the re-entry, and even more unlikely that it will actually hit an aircraft.”
The Federal Aviation Administration reported in 2023 that space debris has a one-trillion-to-one chance of seriously injuring a commercial airline passenger.
How The Plane Glass Cracked
Experts say an electrical malfunction could cause the windshield crack, but the scorch marks and broken glass suggest an external object likely struck the plane. Birds, hail, and other debris usually collide with aircraft at lower altitudes, making this incident unusual, as the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was cruising at 36,000 feet.
