A Boeing 737 that was scheduled to land in Washington, D.C., on Sunday was diverted to Denver instead for an emergency landing after pilots noticed the aircraft’s windshield was cracked.
The diversion, which was reported by the Federal Aviation Administration, is just the latest in a string of aviation mishaps or equipment malfunctions in recent weeks.
The incidents coincide with a broader discussion about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the industry and whether they are related.
The FAA said in a brief statement Sunday that the Washington-bound jet landed in Colorado without incident.
“United Airlines Flight 1627 landed safely at Denver International Airport in Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 28, after diverting due to a cracked windshield,” the agency said.
“The plane landed around 1:10 p.m. local time. The flight was traveling from Harry Reid International Airport in Nevada to Dulles International Airport.”
Fox Business confirmed the aircraft was a Boeing 737-800.
In a statement to the network, United Airlines blamed the incident on a “maintenance issue.”
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United also said that passengers aboard the flight exited safely and were placed on another aircraft.
The incident followed a startling Alaska Airlines flight that lost its door mid-air on Jan. 5.
Video of the incident went viral on social media:
Both Boeing and Spirit Aerosystems — which made the fuselage for the 737 Max 9 — are being investigated by the FAA, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, a Boeing 747 cargo plane that departed from Miami on Thursday en route to Puerto Rico caught on fire. Video of the flaming fight went viral on social media.
The plane returned safely to the airport, and no one was injured, NBC News reported.
The Boeing 747 cargo plane whose engine caught on fire in Miami last night was pretty new, with the flight certificate issued by the FAA in November 2015. A softball sized hole was found above engine number 2. Flight 5Y95 landed safely back at Miami 14 mins after takeoff. pic.twitter.com/lgAnwavTej
— Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) January 19, 2024
As numerous planes have experienced near-catastrophic issues in recent weeks, many Americans are apprehensive about boarding planes due to DEI initiatives at some airlines.
Fox Business reported two weeks ago that Boeing had previously highlighted that its executives believed racial diversity was important in aviation.
Meanwhile, 2021 comments from United CEO Scott Kirby in which he said he wished to see half of his company’s pilots be either women or people of color have resurfaced.
🤦🏻♂️ United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says DEI Hires are key Considerations Who is Piloting Airplains
• 50% of the classes are women or people of color
• For every interview, regardless of skill or experience, we require woman and people of color be involvedSo… what vacations… pic.twitter.com/UYhm2dWYGy
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) January 17, 2024
Many reactions to an old “Axis on HBO” interview were either critical of prioritizing racial diversity over safety or declarations that people wouldn’t again fly United.
