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SALT LAKE CITY — The pilots on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C., 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.
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.
Passengers were able to see the shattered glass once they landed in Denver.
Passenger Kirk Knowlton snapped a picture and tweeted that the crew had announced that the windshield appeared to crack spontaneously.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black on Friday confirmed the "windshield crack" but said the cause had not been determined.
We were on our way to the ACC meeting when it was announced that we we would need to make an unplanned landing in Denver because the windscreen cracked. Apparently it was spontaneous. Fortunately, we landed safely and are about to get back in air. We are grateful for safe flights pic.twitter.com/lK6kq5UiY2
— Kirk Knowlton, MD (@KirkKnowlton) March 31, 2022
"Out of an abundance of caution, the flight crew diverted into Denver and the plane landed routinely. Our team worked quickly to accommodate customers on a new plane, and we sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans," an airline statement said.
Passengers boarded a new plane in Denver and continued on to Washington.
