US: Boeing 737 MAX 8 windshield shatters mid-air after an unidentified object strikes; pilot injured

United Airlines Flight 1093, carrying 134 passengers and six crew members, was cruising at about 36,000 feet near Moab, Utah, when the impact cracked one layer of the aircraft’s multilayered windshield, Fox LA reported. The pilot sustained minor injuries, including scratches and bruises.

The aircraft rapidly descended 10,000 feet before diverting safely to Salt Lake City International Airport.

Passenger Heather Ramsey told Fox 11 that a flight attendant urgently instructed colleagues to halt cabin service and move to the back of the aircraft moments after the incident. “The pilot later informed us that the aircraft had collided with an object,” she said. “It was terrifying. Everyone was tense until we landed.”

A photo circulating on social media platform X showed the pilot’s injured hand.

In a statement, United Airlines said: “On Thursday, United Flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield. We arranged for another aircraft to take customers to Los Angeles later that day, and our maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service.”

The nature of the object that struck the plane remains unknown. Ramsey said passengers speculated it could have been “scrap metal, space debris, or a drone.”