A United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has suffered a cracked windshield, whilst cruising above the Pacific Ocean on 14th May.
The incident occurred as the Dreamliner, registered as N26952, was cruising at 40,000 feet, approximately 470 nautical miles from Tokyo.
According to the Aviation Herald, the crew of the United Airlines flight, UA2862 from Hong Kong to San Francisco, reported the incident at approximately 22:30 local time.
The crew of four declared a PAN PAN, requesting a diversion to Tokyo Narita Airport. The aircraft made a safe landing on runway 16R approximately 90 minutes after declaring the incident.
The Aviation Herald has reported that the Dreamliner spent approximately 24 hours at Narita Airport, before subsequently continuing on to San Francisco.
Most aircraft windshields are comprised of two layers of glass, with a plastic sheet in between for heating.
Cracked windshields are often caused by a malfunction with the heating layer, although a variety of other factors can contribute.
Modern aircraft windshields are designed to continue normal function if one pane of glass breaks, with each pane being capable of holding the internal aircraft pressure.
Article Sources: Aviation Herald and USA Today.
