by Keka Araújo
November 27, 2025
United Airlines flight 1093, carrying 111 occupants, diverted safely to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) after the strike, which preliminary data suggests may have involved a high-altitude weather balloon.
A United Airlines Boeing 737-8 en route from Denver to Los Angeles sustained damage, and its captain suffered minor injuries after the aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision with an unknown object while cruising over Utah, according to a Nov. 20 report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred on October 16, 2025, at 6:43 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).
United Airlines flight 1093, carrying 111 occupants, diverted safely to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) after the strike, which preliminary data suggests may have involved a high-altitude weather balloon.
NTSB issues the preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the Oct. 16 incident in which a United Airlines Boeing 737-8 struck an object while in cruise flight near Moab, Utah. Download the report PDF: pic.twitter.com/KMuoOxl4Fs
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 20, 2025
Sudden Impact Shatters Windshield
The collision occurred as the aircraft, registration N17327, was established in cruise flight at a pressure altitude of 36,000 feet. The captain reported seeing an object distant on the horizon moments before a significant impact, and a loud bang occurred at the first officer’s forward windshield.
The impact immediately shattered the windshield, showering both pilots with glass. The captain sustained multiple superficial lacerations to his right arm, though the first officer was uninjured. The remaining 109 passengers and two flight attendants onboard were also unharmed.
Following the event, the flight crew quickly initiated a descent, transferred pilot duties, and addressed an illuminated window overheat light per checklist procedures. The captain, after self-administering first aid for his wounds, resumed pilot flying duties for an uneventful ILS approach and landing at SLC.
Investigation Focuses on Weather Balloon
Federal investigators quickly requested data on weather balloons, other aircraft, and any known reentry objects that may have been in the collision area. The investigation has zeroed in on a Global Sounding Balloon (GSB) operated by WindBorne Systems Inc.
WindBorne reported losing contact with one of their unmanned free balloons, launched from Spokane, Washington, that was in the vicinity of the airliner at the time of the accident. The GSB ceased communication between 6:36:16 and 6:43:36 a.m. MDT, with its last reported altitude at 35,936 feet, oscillating within the airliner’s flight level.
The flight data recorder revealed that at the time of the collision, the 737’s track was to the southwest at a pressure altitude of 36,002 feet and a groundspeed of 395 knots, placing it in the same airspace as the last reported GSB location.
Design and Integrity of Impacted Components
WindBorne describes the GSB as a lightweight, long-duration weather platform made primarily of thin, low-tensile-strength plastic film, filled with silica ballast to minimize damage upon impact. No large metal structural elements are employed.
The damaged windshield of the Boeing 737, manufactured by PPG Aerospace, is a composite design intended to withstand significant flight loads and is certified to endure the impact of a four-pound bird without penetration. The glass is composed of multiple layers, including a structural inner pane and a non-structural outer pane. The damaged windshield has been removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Lab in Washington, D.C., for detailed examination, along with the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has invited all qualified parties, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), WindBorne Systems, Boeing, and United Airlines, to participate in the ongoing investigation.
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