Delta Airlines plane forced to land after windshield shatters

Saturday, April 2, 2022

The pilots on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Washington DC decided to bring their jet down in Denver after the cockpit windshield shattered above 30,000 feet. The crew repeatedly told passengers to remain calm until they landed.

A photo of the windshield taken by a passenger shows the glass, though lined with cracks, didn’t fall from its frame. Commercial airline pilots said jetliner windshields can be two inches thick, with several layered panes of glass, the station reported.

The crew announced the diversion about 90 minutes into the flight, after the plane reached cruising altitude, which is above 30,000 feet, passengers said.

They kept coming on saying for everyone to stay calm, to be calm, and we were calm so being told to stay calm while we were calm made us feel a little panicky,” Wright said.

The passengers were able to see the shattered glass once they landed in Denver.

Wright said that he is really good at playing what-if? And so, my mind goes to kind of, what could have happened, worst-case scenario and I’m grateful. It could have been really bad, it could have gone very differently.

Another passenger, Kirk Knowlton, snapped a picture and tweeted that the crew had announced that the windscreen appeared to crack spontaneously.

The passengers boarded a new plane in Denver and continued on to Washington. Wright praised Delta for bringing the jet down safely, and said the airline was very accommodating.

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