A United Airlines flight between Denver and Los Angeles experienced tense moments after colliding with an unidentified object at an altitude of about 36,000 feet.
The pilot even informed the control tower saying he had “bad news”, shortly before reporting the impact. The impact broke the cockpit glass, sending fragments flying and creating a dangerous situation for the crew. One of the pilots suffered injuries to his arm, but was treated immediately and is out of danger.
Aviation authorities have already started an investigation to find out what really hit the plane. One of the hypotheses being analyzed is that of a weather balloon that may have inadvertently crossed the aircraft’s route.
United Airlines assured that the safety of passengers and crew is the top priority and confirmed that it is cooperating with federal authorities. So far, there is no confirmation about the origin or type of the object involved.
Although rare, collisions between planes and weather balloons have been recorded before. These devices, used to collect atmospheric data, can reach high altitudes and pose a risk when not properly tracked.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to release a preliminary report in the coming days with initial conclusions and possible measures to prevent similar situations from recurring.
