Smashed Windshield Forces Emergency Landing Of LAX-Bound Flight, Pilot Bloodied

A recent United Airlines bound for LAX was forced to make an emergency landing after a still-unidentified object smashed the plane's windshield, leaving the pilot bloodied and bruised, according to reports.

United Airlines flight 1093 was about 50 minutes into its trip from Denver on Thursday when the crew reported the damage and the flight was diverted to Salt Lake City, ABC 7 reported.

The aircraft was flying at a likely altitude of 36,000 feet when the strike occurred. An unknown object forcefully struck the upper-right part of the window, causing the glass to smash in a spiderweb pattern and leaving the metal frame damaged, Ars Technica reported.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the incident, the agency said in a social media post.

Officials are gathering radar, weather and flight recorder data and the windscreen was sent to the agency's lab for examination, according to the NTSB.

The NTSB is investigating a cracked windscreen on a Boeing 737-8 during cruise flight near Moab, Utah, Thursday. Operating as United flight 1093 from DEN to LAX, airplane diverted safely to SLC. NTSB gathering radar, weather, flight recorder data. Windscreen being sent to NTSB…
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) October 19, 2025

The collision left the pilot's arm bloodied and bruised, according to photos shared on social media published by the New York Post and Ars Technica.

Several explanations have been floated in media reports. Hail, space debris, and a wayward weather balloon are among the suggested causes of the collision, Ars Technica reported.