An Alaska Airlines flight from Arlington, Virginia, experienced a scare as it was landing at Portland International Airport when the aircraft's windshield cracked, the airline confirmed. Despite the mid-flight jolt, the plane managed to make a safe landing on Sunday evening with no injuries reported.
Heading in from Arlington, VA, the inner windshield of the Boeing 737 airliner cracked during its descent to Portland, Oregon. The incident, landing at the airport with a damaged pane, did not escalate thanks to the plane's multi-layered windscreen design. As confirmed by KATU," Alaska Airlines’ 737 fleet are outfitted with five-layer windscreens that have an outer pane, three inner layers and an inner pane. If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure. The aircraft will be inspected and repaired by engineers on the ground," In the event that the inner pane cracks, the remaining panes and layers are designed to maintain cabin pressure.
Alaska Airlines has reported, after the inner windshield incident, that their crew immediately followed protocol. “The crew followed their checklists and the aircraft continued safely to its destination as scheduled. Alaska Airlines’ 737 fleet are outfitted with five-layer windscreens that have an outer pane, three inner layers and an inner pane. If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure. The aircraft will be inspected and repaired by engineers on the ground.” stated Alaska Airlines, as reported by FOX12. Safety measures and training are in place for such scenarios to ensure that passengers and crew remain unharmed.
The damaged aircraft will not return to the skies until it undergoes a thorough inspection and necessary repairs by ground engineers, which according to the airline's statement, obtained by multiple sources such as WYMT. This incident comes on the heels of a separate event involving a Boeing 737, where an external panel fell off but the plane still landed safely at a Medford, Oregon, airport.
