On a Delta flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Orange County, California the captain came on the loud-speaker saying there was a problem in the cockpit – the cockpit windshield had cracked - and they needed to make an emergency landing in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Passenger Mike Fleming was on the flight, updating his Facebook status while it was happening and took a photo of the damaged windshield. Fleming spoke to American Morning’s Kiran Chetry about the sudden emergency situation at 34,000 feet mid-air.
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Cracks on aircraft windshields are fairly common and pilots are trained on how to handle the situation. Don't worry about it.
Go to AvHerald. Is this not a daily issue?
"Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. Any landing which you can use the aircraft again is outstanding!" -Gen. Chuck Yeager USAF Ret.
Could it have been that the pilot was flying higher than the service ceiling or what model was the 737 (age, -200, -300, -600)
Well it's Delta, so it was probably a stubby little re-serviced 100 series from days gone by. LOL My humor...I crack myself up. Don't worry, it's a fairly common occurence although less informed folks say it's dangerous. It's sandwiched between many layers of dry wit and acerbic astucity so it can usually take me for a few more miles before I have to get it checked out. No emergency here.
I flew from Springfield MO to Saint Louis MO on an ozark DC9 (twenty years ago) and we were landing at Saint Louis
neither the flaps nor the spoilers functioned on the left wing. We had an interesting landing.
I called the airport later in the day to see if the flight continued on to Chicago. They said it had been delayed due to
"radio problems"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya right!!!
That's why I love this site... so many experts!!!!
I imagine if they ever ran a story on underwater basketweaving, quite a few of you would be able to tell us all about it in long-winded, mind-numbing detail as well, eh?
First thing is why he's updating his profile since that kind of device is not allowed to be used during flights....hmmmm
I would have been the one to panic if I was told I was going to have to land in Dallas/ Ft. Worth. Just kidding. I'd probably love it. But I used to inspect passenger aircraft and don't remember what the windows were like for the pilots! I never had to inspect those. I do know that when I worked on fighter jets the windshield, not really a windshield and I forget the terminology for that, was like I don't know 2 inches thick of maybe 4 layers of glass? I saw one that ran probably into a electrical cable or some kind of cable cracked the windshield with a straight line across it. Broke both canopies, the antennas on top were also gone and the pitot tube on the vert stab was also gone. That guy or two, I never knew which, were lucky they got back. But does anyone know about how the windshields in passenger aircraft are made?
are you kidding they make a Big news if a Fire Goes Flat these days this is a normal occurrence.
mike, that's why they have forums like this....to educate the non-educated like you. Underwater basket weaving sounds like your pace.....
was it made by toyota?
did they make everyone get off the plane to be molested again?
it's Obamas fault
It IS a big deal if the crack is big enough. I'm a Controller, and I had a biz jet crack one, one time. He descended at about 10,000 feet per minute and had the plane on the ground in about 5 minutes.
use Duck tape