Emergency on flight: what happened on board the American plane

An Embraer 175 operated by Mesa Airlines, flying as United Express from Houston to El Paso, was forced to return to the departure airport after the cockpit windshield on the first officer's side shattered. Shards fell into the cockpit, the crew declared an emergency and landed safely. Passengers were rebooked on a backup aircraft. The FAA has launched an investigation.

On September 27, Mesa Airlines flight 6309, operating under the United Express brand, departed from Houston for El Paso aboard an Embraer 175. Minutes after takeoff, the windshield on the first officer's side cracked and broke through, with debris falling into the cockpit. The crew requested an emergency return to the departure airport. Pilots landed the aircraft safely around 1:00 PM, where fire crews were waiting on the runway. There was no cabin depressurization. All passengers were transferred to a backup plane and arrived at their destination with a slight delay. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the cause of the windshield failure.