An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 made an emergency landing in Missoula, Montana, after the flight deck windshield cracked mid-flight.
The incident occurred on October 11th during flight AS345 from Columbus to Seattle.
Alaska Airlines Emergency Landing
The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 737-900ER registered as N288AK, which departed John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 09:06. Over three hours into the journey, approximately 100 miles east of Missoula, the pilots altered course due to the windshield issue.
Flightradar24 data revealed that the aircraft was cruising at FL360 when it diverted. The plane landed safely on Runway 29 at Missoula Montana Airport at 10:52 local time. All 163 passengers and six crew members onboard remained unharmed.
Alaska Airlines issued a statement confirming the diversion resulted from a crack in the flight deck window. The airline emphasized that passenger and crew safety was never compromised, citing their aircraft's triple-paned window design. This feature allows the middle and inner panes to maintain cabin pressure if the outer pane cracks.
Passengers continued their journey on a replacement Boeing 737-900ER, registered N402AS. This flight departed Missoula at 18:00 and arrived in Seattle at 18:04 local time, resulting in a nearly seven-hour delay for travelers.
The affected aircraft, delivered to Alaska Airlines in May 2018, has accumulated over 22,000 flight hours and 7,000 flight cycles according to ch-aviation data. It remains grounded in Missoula for inspection and repair.
Comments (7)
Lizzie
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COURSIERES
Since it appears that sole the outer pane was cracked, and since the middel and inner panes provide fail-safe cabin pressure, why to make an emergency landing instead of pursuing the journey, eventually at a lower altitude ?
C Howller
You are questioning the scare factor of pilots ( M & F ) who don't want to see when the windshield will really break? Ah come on are you just a thrill seeker or are.you a rejected wearer of a straight jacket?
Mike Jaureguy
The windshields on the 737s are a virtual duplicates of the windows going all the way back to the 727s and the 707s (flat windows). They are triple glass panes, separated by several layers of various types of plexiglass-type[s]. They are very well designed, besides being "electrically" heated for defogging/deicing purposes. The safety factors are superb. The manuals for the abnormal procedures (NOT emergency procedures!!), have always stated that; only in the case of an innermost pane cracking, would flight procedures be altered, and in that most serious case would only involve descending to a lower altitude-in order to reduce the [cabin air] pressure difference as a precautionary measure. In the cases of either a middle or outer pane cracking there is no flight restriction whatsoever, unless sparking (from window heat electrical shorts) occurs- then turn window heating OFF- or possible use of windshield wipers to clear away any bits of visibility reducing glass shards. Poster Coursieres is correct in his questioning of the Emergency landing, though that may be just the press' way of describing a precautionary landing. Or of course, Inexperience or lack of training would also explain the 'emergency' landing. I will say, having experienced probably 4 or 5 such incidents, that when the pane cracks, it does make a frightful noise, similar to a cockpit lightning strike, which may well explain the pilots reactions and decisions. In short, there was NO EMERGENCY.
that would be up to the captain not you!
steve higgin
The new media has a tendancy to sensationize what may have be a diversion and call it an emergency. I have had the exact same situation and unless you have been there at fl380 you have no idea what the CRACK sounds like. I choose to decend and diverted into one of our maintainance bases. I also knew of a BA pilot who got sucked halfway out his windshield with the FO holding his belt. BA146 with wrong bolts. That was in the back of my mind.
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