A United Airlines flight crashed into a weather balloon at 36,000 feet over Utah last month, a collision that forced an emergency landing and left the pilots showered in glass, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The incident occurred on Oct. 16, when United Flight 1093, a Boeing 737 Max carrying 112 people from Denver, hit what was later identified as a high-altitude weather balloon launched by WindBorne Systems, reports Reuters. The collision cracked the plane's windshield, and the captain suffered minor cuts on his right arm. The first officer wasn't hurt.
KOMO notes that the captain only took enough time to bandage his hurt arm before getting back to business flying the plane. The windshields of aircraft are multi-layered to prevent a loss of cabin pressure, notes Reuters. The NTSB confirmed the balloon's radar path matched the plane's route, and WindBorne CEO John Dean tells CBS News that he's pretty sure if was one of his firm's satellites that smashed into the aircraft. The United flight captain said he'd spotted an object on the horizon, but they were unable to change the plane's course in time.
The NTSB's Jennifer Homendy previously noted the situation had the potential to be "really devastating." WindBorne Systems, which says it has launched more than 4,000 balloons and always notifies the FAA, acknowledged the incident and announced new safety measures. The company says it's halved the time its balloons spend in commercial flight altitudes and started issuing automated location reports every two hours. Passengers on this flight, meanwhile, made their way to their original destination of Los Angeles later in the day.
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