A United Airlines pilot was injured and forced to make an emergency landing after a mystery object smashed the windshield of a Boeing 737 at 36,000 feet.
The captain of the flight reportedly described the object that hit the plane as “space debris.” This has not been confirmed, however.
I'm curious how you could identify something moving at such a fast closure rate, but that's all for the investigators to nail down.
If only we had a massive constellation of machines flying around the troposphere and low stratosphere that could be equipped to take a few additional measurements that these balloons do.I'll give the company representative credit, they took huge responsibility for the event and called it unacceptable. That is rare these days.
A long time ago (pre '81), Just as I was touching down on rwy 22 in YSB, I saw a parachute immediately beside me. It was a flash as I went by. Taxiing off the runway I asked the tower about parachuting activities in the area. They answered none. I explained what happened and they sent a vehicle out and recovered a weather "package" and chute "from the yanks" the driver said, right in the snow windrow.
