Last week, passengers aboard a United Airlines flight experienced a frightening moment when the jet struck an unknown object at 36,000 feet, prompting an emergency landing. The flight, United 1093, was en route from Denver to Los Angeles and had to land in Salt Lake City after the impact shattered part of the windshield and injured a pilot.
Heather Ramsey, one of the 134 people on board, was recording a sunrise when she noticed a sudden change in cabin activity. “One of the flight attendants yelled for everyone to stand back and stop service,” she recounted.
Shortly afterward, a flight attendant informed everyone over the intercom, “We have bad news. The plane has hit an object.” Ramsey recalled her thoughts turning to the potential danger, as the plane began a steep descent of about 10,000 feet. “We were holding our breath until the very end. You could really sense the tension in the air,” she told a magazine.
While details about the object remain unclear, it was significant enough to cause damage. The pilot was struck by shards of glass that rained down from the shattered windshield.
Ramsey speculated about what could have caused it. “That seems a little high for a bird,” she mused, considering possibilities like scrap metal, space debris, or a drone.
The FAA noted that collisions with space debris involving commercial airliners are extremely rare, with estimates putting those odds at less than 1 in a trillion. NASA has reported an increase in space junk, tracking over 25,000 items larger than four inches, but most are located well above the altitudes where the incident occurred.
Despite the chaos, Ramsey praised the pilot for maintaining composure amidst the ordeal. Fortunately, all passengers were safely deplaned and transferred to another aircraft to continue their journeys.
United Airlines confirmed that the damaged plane was undergoing maintenance to address the windshield issue. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board has started an investigation, which includes analyzing the broken windshield to understand the incident better.
