Mystery object that broke United Airlines plane windshiel...

Mystery object that broke United Airlines plane windshield at 36,000ft revealed Molly Lee Molly Lee Published November 23, 2025 1:45pm Updated November 23, 2025 1:45pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments

Photos from an NTSB report show damage sustained after United Airlines Flight 1093 struck an unknown object on October 16, 2025. Pilots injured when a cockpit windshield shattered in mid-air have been told what caused the scary hit at 36,000 feet. The United Airlines flight made an emergency landing after being struck by a mystery object over Utah, showering both pilots in glass and causing one to suffer lacerations on his arm. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded the plane was hit by a long-duration, high-altitude weather balloon that took off the previous day from Spokane, Washington. The incident ?could have been really devastating for the aircraft and those on board,? NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. Flight 1093, from Denver to Los Angeles, with 112 passengers and crew, made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City. The captain said he noticed a distant object on the horizon, initially thought to be space debris, but before he could mention it to the co-pilot, it struck the glass with a loud bang. Weather balloon company WindBorne said it has ?implemented four additional safety measures to further reduce the possibility of any future aircraft-balloon interactions.?

A weather balloon cause serious damage to the plane’s windshield(Picture: United Airlines)

The mystery of what shattered a United Airlines plane’s windshield in midflight appears to have been settled.

A Boeing 737 MAX plane made an emergency landing near Moab, Utah, on October 18, 2025, after sustaining serious damage in a collision with an unidentified object.

WindBorne Systems said it suspected that one of its weather balloons had collided with and cracked the windshield of United Flight 1093 as it flew at roughly 36,000 feet.

The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed the company’s suspicions, saying the track for the WindBorne long-duration, high-altitude weather balloon was consistent with the path of the plane.

One day before the collision, the balloon departed from Spokane, Washington, passing over Oregon and Nevada, before crashing into the plane above Utah.

As the windshield shattered, shards of glass struck both pilots, leaving the captain with multiple superficial cuts on his right arm.

The first officer was not injured.

A United Airlines pilot was injured and forced to make an emergency landing after a mystery object smashed the windshield of a Boeing 737 at 36,000 feet. Photos circulating online reportedly show the pilot?s arms bleeding and bruised, with injuries consistent with glass cuts. Broken glass also covered the dashboard and cockpit. Other photos show what appear to be scorch marks at the point of impact.

The captain was left with multiple superficial cuts to his right arm after the windshield shattered

The captain reported seeing a distant object on the horizon, but didn’t have time to alert his co-pilot before it struck the windshield with a loud bang.

Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, said last month the incident ‘could have been really devastating for the aircraft and those on board.’

The NTSB said the flight departed from Denver with 112 passengers and crew.

After the captain diverted safely to Salt Lake City, passengers were transported on another aircraft to Los Angeles later that day.

Before the identity of the object was confirmed, there were concerns that the damage could have been caused by space debris.

The windshield was left completely shattered (Picture: United Airlines)

Kai Marshland, co-founder of WindBorne, told Ars Technica before the confirmation: ‘I think this was a WindBorne balloon. We learned about UA1093 and the potential that it was related to one of our balloons at 11 pm PT on Sunday and immediately looked into it.

‘At 6am PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both NTSB and FAA, and are working with both of them to investigate further.’

The company said they have rolled out changes to minimise the amount of time its balloons spend between 30,000 and 40,000 feet in the air.

These changes include four additional safety measures in order to reduce the possibility of similar incidents happening in the future.

What is a weather balloon?

A weather balloon is a type of long-duration, autonomous balloon that collects atmospheric data for advanced AI-powered weather forecasting.

The data forms a strong, real-time understanding of the current state of weather and the environment.

With an average flight time of seven days and a maximum flight time of 16, the balloons are capable of flying for a significantly long time.

WindBorne states that their products are the lightest and most sustainable balloons on the planet.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

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