A United Airlines Boeing 737-8 en route from Denver to Los Angeles was forced to divert to Salt Lake City after colliding with a weather balloon at 36,000 feet. The incident resulted in minor injuries to the captain and damage to the aircraft.
A United Airlines Boeing 737-8 diverted to Salt Lake City last month after striking a Washington-based weather balloon at 36,000 feet, showering its flight crew with glass and leaving the captain with minor injuries, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report released on Thursday.
UAL Flight 1093 was en route from Denver to Los Angeles on Oct. 16 when the collision occurred at 6:43 a.m. MDT near Moab. None of the 111 passengers and crew, aside from the captain, was hurt.The captain told investigators he had just spotted an object on the horizon when a loud bang reverberated through the cockpit and the first officer’s forward windshield shattered outward. The blow sent pieces of glass across the flight deck, cutting the captain’s right arm. The crew declared an emergency, coordinated with air traffic control, and began descending. After the first officer’s window overheated light illuminated, the pilots completed the applicable checklists and consulted with dispatch before diverting to Salt Lake City International Airport. The captain briefly bandaged his arm, then resumed flying duties for the descent and landing. The aircraft landed without further incident on runway 16L, taxiing to the gate under its own power while escorted by airport firefighters. Emergency medical crews treated the captain at the gate.Investigators say preliminary data indicates the jet likely collided with a high-altitude weather balloon operated by WindBorne Systems Inc. The company reported losing contact with one of its global sounding balloons - an unmanned, lightweight atmospheric research platform -at roughly the same time and location as the strike. The balloon had been launched the previous day from Spokane, Wash., and had traveled hundreds of miles through Oregon and Nevada before drifting northeast into Utah. Its final transmission between 6:36 and 6:43 a.m. MDT placed it at 35,936 feet, roughly matching the aircraft’s altitude. The device was tracking northeast with winds of about 73 knots.A Notice to Air Missions had been issued for the launch on Oct. 15 but expired that afternoon, well before the collision. WindBorne told investigators its balloons are made from thin plastic film with no rigid structural components, and its ballast system uses low-density silica. The aircraft’s damaged windshield, manufactured by PPG Aerospace, was certified to withstand impacts from a four-pound bird and designed so that even with a pane failure, cabin pressure can be maintained. The multi-layered window assembly was removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., for analysis. Data from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders showed the 737 was cruising at a pressure altitude of 36,002 feet, tracking southwest at 233 degrees with a groundspeed of 395 knots at the moment of impact, nearly head-on with the balloon’s reported path. The NTSB has assigned specialists in materials engineering, meteorology, aircraft performance, operations, and air traffic control to the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, United Airlines and WindBorne have been invited to participate.2News Investigates uncovered possible missing surveillance video of Tyler Robinson turning himself in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office just days afterA Delta flight bound for Salt Lake made an emergency landing in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning.Delta Flight 375 reportedly took off from Honolulu around 2Husband-wife neighbors of a Spanish Fork teen group home in an HOA community call the home a source of "constant disruption," drawing police as often as twice aNew details have surfaced in the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, whose mother allegedly traveled through five states with her daughter in tow.PrivaA silent crisis is unfolding within the construction industry, where suicide and mental health struggles have reached alarming levels.The issue gained attention
United Airlines Boeing 737-8 Weather Balloon Aircraft Incident Flight Safety
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