THE mystery object that crashed into the Boeing 737 cockpit and showered pilots with glass has finally been identified.
The United Airlines plane was flying at 36,000ft near Moab Utah when an apparent weather balloon careered into its windscreen, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
The balloon had departed from Spokane, Washington the previous day and then passed over Oregon and Nevada.
It eventually flew into airspace above Utah before dramatically striking the windshield of the Boeing.
NTSB said: “The impact resulted in both pilots being showered with pieces of glass. The captain sustained multiple superficial lacerations to his right arm.”
The incident could have been “really devastating” for those on board, according to chair Jennifer Homendy.
Graphic images showed the pilot’s blood-soaked arm battered and bruised by the shards of glass.
Sharp chunks from the smashed windshield can also be seen scattered across the dashboard and cockpit.
Meanwhile, other pictures of the jet appear to show the initial impact of the object on the plane.
The United Flight 1093 was flying near Moab, Utah on October 16 when the plane was struck.
At the time, the captain described noticing an object on the horizon.
But before he had a chance to alert his first officer, the balloon smashed into the windshield – causing a deafening bang.
The first officer was not injured.
The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City.
Passengers were later re-booked on a replacement Boeing 737 MAX 9 to finish their journey to Los Angeles following a six-hour delay.
Initial speculation suggested the damage was caused by space debris despite previous studies deeming this unlikely.
Windborne, the firm behind the weather balloon, said it conducts more than 4,000 launches and always notifies the Federal Aviation Administration.
On Thursday, a spokesperson ensured that it has “implemented four additional safety measures to further reduce the possibility of any future aircraft-balloon interactions as well as mitigate harm should an impact occur again.”
At the time, United Airlines said: “On Thursday, United flight 1093 landed safely in Salt Lake City to address damage to its multilayered windshield.
“We arranged for another aircraft to take customers to Los Angeles later that day and our maintenance team is working to return the aircraft to service.”
In July, a Delta flight was diverted after a passenger reportedly brought a dangerous item onboard that caused a fire.
Screams rang out, smoke clouded the seats, and flight attendants rushed to grab an extinguisher after the mid-air blaze broke out, one flyer on the plane revealed.
Delta confirmed that Flight 1334, which was a Boeing 757 travelling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted because of a battery fire.
The airline said that attendants “worked quickly” to extinguish the device belonging to a customer that had spontaneously combusted.
