Delta Air Lines’ Boeing 757 lands safely after cockpit windshield breaks mid-air

A cockpit windshield is built with several layers of thick glass and plastic in between for heating, anti-ice and anti-fog systems and is designed to withstand extreme pressure and is similar to bullet-proof glass.

Image for representation

During a flight from Salt Lake City to Washington DC on March 31, a Delta Air Lines windshield shattered mid-air, forcing an emergency landing in Denver. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Flight 760 landed safely at Denver International Airport around 11 a.m. local time. The cause of the windshield crack is unknown, but the FAA says it will investigate.

In a tweet, Kirk Knowlton posted a photo of the cracked windshield, showing a heavily fractured piece, and stating that the crack occurred "spontaneously," with the crew safely landing the plane shortly after.

The Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 involved in this incident took off from Salt Lake City at 10:08 local time with 198 passengers on board. The flight was supposed to land at Washington Dulles around 15:50 local time, however, the flight was diverted to the Denver International Airport after the incident.

Many passengers took pictures of the shattered cockpit window after landing in Denver. These pictures went viral on Twitter. After a several-hour delay, passengers were able to board another plane in Denver to travel to Washington, which landed at 21:41 local time.

We were on our way to the ACC meeting when it was announced that we we would need to make an unplanned landing in Denver because the windscreen cracked. Apparently it was spontaneous. Fortunately, we landed safely and are about to get back in air. We are grateful for safe flights pic.twitter.com/lK6kq5UiY2 — Kirk Knowlton, MD (@KirkKnowlton) March 31, 2022

The cause of this window cracking is unknown, but such events are common and crews have been trained to handle such situations. An incident similar to this occurred on 28 December 2021 with the British Airways Boeing 777 which was travelling from Gatwick to Costa Rica. A lump of ice from a jet 1,000 feet above the British Airways jet smashed into the plane at 35,000 feet which left its windscreen cracked.

A cockpit windshield consists of several panes of thick glass with a layer of plastic in between for heating, anti-ice, and anti-fog systems and is built to withstand extreme force and is similar to bulletproof glass.

Earlier this week, another Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 diverted to Denver International Airport after the cabin experienced a sudden loss of pressure, with six passengers requiring medical treatment.