Pilot left bloodied after 'mystery object' hits plane 36,000ft midair
What's the story
A United Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles was diverted to Salt Lake City after a mysterious object struck the cockpit windshield at 36,000 feet. The incident occurred on Thursday and resulted in injuries to the pilot, who was seen with bleeding and bruised arms in photos shared online. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, had 140 passengers and crew members on board.
Emergency landing
Theories of object
The flight UA1093 was forced to descend from its cruising altitude of 36,000 feet to 26,000 feet before landing safely at Salt Lake City International Airport. The airline later rebooked passengers on a replacement Boeing 737 MAX 9, which reached Los Angeles six hours late. Aviation enthusiasts have speculated that the incident could have been caused by space debris or a meteorite, given the scorch marks and impact points. However, these theories remain unconfirmed due to lack of data.
Twitter Post
Check out pictures from cockpit here
United Airlines 737 MAX pilot injured after the windshield cracked at 36,000 while flying from Denver to Los Angeles on Thursday.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 18, 2025
Reports have suggested the possibility of the aircraft being hit by falling space debris or a small meteorite, though this remains unconfirmed.… pic.twitter.com/8qNg6aA0uE
Cause speculation
Aviation enthusiasts speculate cause of incident
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had earlier placed the odds of space debris causing serious injury at one-trillion-to-one in a 2023 report. Experts believe the windshield fracture was caused by an electrical problem, but the scorch marks and broken glass show the jet was hit by something. While birds, hail, and other items frequently collide with planes at low altitudes, this incident is different in that the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was at cruising altitude.
Investigation underway
Plane remains grounded
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 remains grounded as investigations continue into what caused this unusual midair incident at cruising altitude. Although exceedingly unusual, there are currently more human-made objects orbiting the Earth than ever before, with NASA reportedly tracking over 36,000 pieces of space trash. The US Space Surveillance Network constantly examines the motions of orbital debris to identify potential close collisions.