A flight that was scheduled from Denver to Los Angeles, a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 (UA1093) was forced to land in Salt Lake City following its windshield getting smashed midair, causing injuries to a pilot. The incident took place Oct. 16 with 140 passengers and crew members on board.
According to Aviation A2Z, the plane went from 36,000 to 26,000 feet prior to landing at Salt Lake City International Airport. Later, passengers had their flights rebooked on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 to finish their trip to Los Angeles that came along with a delay of six hours. (RELATED: 72 Dead, 48 Missing After Ruthless Flooding In Mexico)
Per a report from One Mile at a Time, photos posted online seemingly show the windshield with scorch marks on it, which bruised the arm of the pilot to suggest it was an impact of high-energy.
United Airlines 737 MAX pilot injured after the windshield cracked at 36,000 while flying from Denver to Los Angeles on Thursday.
Reports have suggested the possibility of the aircraft being hit by falling space debris or a small meteorite, though this remains unconfirmed.… pic.twitter.com/8qNg6aA0uE
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 18, 2025
It’s being speculated by aviation enthusiasts that the windshield could have gotten hit with a small meteorite or space debris, citing the impact marks and scorch patterns. At this time, those claims are unverified, but if that ends up being the case, it would be an incredibly rare event.
It has not yet been officially confirmed as to what caused the windshield damage. No other injuries have been reported by United Airlines.
An investigation into the incident is still ongoing, per Aviation A2Z.
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