United Airlines flight diverts after suspected space debris strike
United Airlines. PHOTO: AFP
A United Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles was forced to divert to Salt Lake City after the pilot reported that the aircraft might have been struck by space debris at 36,000 feet.
The Boeing 737, operating as Flight 1093, landed safely on Thursday with 140 passengers onboard, though one pilot sustained a minor arm injury.
Photos from the scene show cracked cockpit glass and small fragments scattered inside the flight deck.
Did Space Debris Hit A United Airlines Boeing 737MAX, Shattering The Cockpit Windscreen And Leaving The Captain Splattered In Blood? https://t.co/verxPz04J5 via @yourownkanoo pic.twitter.com/JCEq2EmYj1
After landing, the captain reportedly told ground staff that it “looked like space debris,” describing a sudden impact followed by visible damage to the windshield.
Space debris, such as old satellites and rocket parts, can exceed 25,000 km/h, but rarely enters airspace. Experts remain doubtful, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) puts the risk of injury from such debris at less than one in a trillion.
Aviation analyst Gary Leff noted that the pilot’s account of seeing the object approach raises questions.
“At that altitude, anything traveling at orbital velocity would hit almost instantaneously. By the time it’s visible, it’s already made impact,” he said.
Other possibilities being examined include ice from another aircraft, a small meteoroid, or an unidentified airborne object.
Following the incident, the crew conducted a controlled descent and landed safely in Salt Lake City, where passengers were transferred to another plane to continue to Los Angeles.
Investigators are now analyzing the damage to determine what struck the aircraft.