PILOTS SHOWERED WITH GLASS: NTSB Report Links United 737 Strike To Rogue Weather Balloon

A United Airways Boeing 737-8 en route from Denver to Los Angeles sustained harm, and its captain suffered minor accidents after the plane was concerned in a mid-air collision with an unknown object whereas cruising over Utah, in accordance with a Nov. 20 report by the Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB). The incident occurred on October 16, 2025, at 6:43 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

United Airways flight 1093, carrying 111 occupants, diverted safely to Salt Lake Metropolis Worldwide Airport (SLC) after the strike, which preliminary knowledge suggests could have concerned a high-altitude climate balloon.

NTSB points the preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the Oct. 16 incident wherein a United Airways Boeing 737-8 struck an object whereas in cruise flight close to Moab, Utah. Obtain the report PDF: https://t.co/9tJEIJA61J pic.twitter.com/KMuoOxl4Fs

— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 20, 2025

Sudden Influence Shatters Windshield

The collision occurred because the plane, registration N17327, was established in cruise flight at a stress altitude of 36,000 toes. The captain reported seeing an object distant on the horizon moments earlier than a major impression, and a loud bang occurred on the first officer’s ahead windshield.

The impression instantly shattered the windshield, showering each pilots with glass. The captain sustained a number of superficial lacerations to his proper arm, although the primary officer was unhurt. The remaining 109 passengers and two flight attendants onboard have been additionally unhurt.

Following the occasion, the flight crew rapidly initiated a descent, transferred pilot duties, and addressed an illuminated window overheat mild per guidelines procedures. The captain, after self-administering first help for his wounds, resumed pilot flying duties for an uneventful ILS method and touchdown at SLC.

Investigation Focuses on Climate Balloon

Federal investigators rapidly requested knowledge on climate balloons, different plane, and any recognized reentry objects which will have been within the collision space. The investigation has zeroed in on a World Sounding Balloon (GSB) operated by WindBorne Programs Inc.

WindBorne reported shedding contact with certainly one of their unmanned free balloons, launched from Spokane, Washington, that was within the neighborhood of the airliner on the time of the accident. The GSB ceased communication between 6:36:16 and 6:43:36 a.m. MDT, with its final reported altitude at 35,936 toes, oscillating inside the airliner’s flight degree.

The flight knowledge recorder revealed that on the time of the collision, the 737’s monitor was to the southwest at a stress altitude of 36,002 toes and a groundspeed of 395 knots, inserting it in the identical airspace because the final reported GSB location.

Design and Integrity of Impacted Parts

WindBorne describes the GSB as a light-weight, long-duration climate platform made primarily of skinny, low-tensile-strength plastic movie, full of silica ballast to reduce harm upon impression. No massive metallic structural parts are employed.

The broken windshield of the Boeing 737, manufactured by PPG Aerospace, is a composite design meant to resist vital flight masses and is licensed to endure the impression of a four-pound fowl with out penetration. The glass consists of a number of layers, together with a structural interior pane and a non-structural outer pane. The broken windshield has been eliminated and despatched to the NTSB Supplies Lab in Washington, D.C., for detailed examination, together with the flight knowledge and cockpit voice recorders.

The Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) has invited all certified events, together with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), WindBorne Programs, Boeing, and United Airways, to take part within the ongoing investigation.

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