An unidentified object broke the windscreen of a Boeing 737 MAX 8, reportedly injuring the pilot.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 has been struck by a mysterious object mid-flight, which some suspect may have been debris from space.
United Flight 1093 took off from Denver, Colorado, on Thursday and was scheduled to land in Los Angeles. About 40 minutes later, the aircraft carrying 140 people began descending unexpectedly while flying over Utah and was diverted to Salt Lake City.
Unverified images on social media appear to show fuselage damage and broken glass in the cockpit, as well as blood on the pilot’s arm.
🚨United Boeing 737 MAX 8 (N17327) flight UA1093 from Denver to Los Angeles diverted to Salt Lake City after reportedly hitting “metal space debris” at 36,000 ft. 😳
The crew noticed a crack in one layer of the windshield and landed safely.
A replacement aircraft later continued… pic.twitter.com/OIDl5rq942— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) October 18, 2025
According to aviation news website AvBrief.com, the captain said the plane was hit by “space debris.” AvBrief added that investigators are focusing on the theory that the aircraft collided with a piece of a weather balloon.
Passenger Heather Ramsey told FOX 11 that the crew had announced over the intercom that the plane “collided with an object.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Sunday that it was investigating “a cracked windscreen” on the aircraft. United confirmed that the windshield had been damaged but did not comment further.
British Airways Flight 009 (Speedbird 9) flew through volcanic ash near Indonesia on June 24, 1982, causing all four engines to fail and the cockpit windshield to become sandblasted white. The crew landed safely despite near-total visibility loss.
✈️ Incident Summary: Galunggung Glider
– Flight: British Airways 009 (BA009), callsign Speedbird 9
– Date: June 24, 1982
– Aircraft: Boeing 747-200B, registration G-BDXH (City of Edinburgh)
– Route: London to Auckland, with stopovers in Bombay, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, and Melbourne
– Location of Incident: Near Mount Galunggung, West Java, Indonesia
🌋 What Happened
– The aircraft unknowingly entered a volcanic ash cloud from Mount Galunggung during a night flight at cruising altitude.
– All four engines failed due to ash ingestion. Ash melted inside the engines, forming a ceramic-like sludge that clogged turbine blades.
– The cockpit filled with St. Elmo’s Fire-like static glow, and radio communications were disrupted.
– The windshield was sandblasted opaque, leaving the pilots with no forward visibility. They had to rely on side windows and instruments for landing.
– After gliding for several minutes, the crew managed to restart the engines and safely landed in Jakarta.
– Captain Eric Moody famously announced:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again.”
I had read the pilot of this aircraft – his hair went completely white after this experience
But a fact check revealed no verified evidence
Which appears apocryphal or symbolic in nature rather that factual
A change of underwear may be closer to the truth