10/22/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, US // Sandra Quinlan // Sandra Quinlan
Orlando, FL—A cracked windshield forced the pilot of a Virgin America airliner to make an emergency landing Wednesday, October 20, 2010, just 30-minutes into a flight bound for San Francisco. While no injuries were reported in connection with the incident, maintenance crews will be inspecting the aircraft and investigating what might have caused the crack to appear, as reported by WESH.com.
According to Abby Lunardini, a spokeswoman for Virgin America, “There was actually a hairline windshield crack that appeared shortly after takeoff.”
However, what initially seemed like a minor crack soon became what was described as a “spiderweb of cracks” across the 2008 Airbus’ windshield.
Thirty minutes into the flight, the pilot turned the plane around and headed back to Orlando International Airport (OIA), where the flight originated.
“Everyone remained calm. The aircraft landed safely back at the gate… (We) don’t have details yet (on) what would have caused that, although occasionally, there are things that happen in flight,” added Lunardini.
Maintenance crews are expected to inspect the aircraft to determine what might have caused or contributed to the crack.
Lunardini noted that investigators have not yet ruled out the possibility that a bird-aircraft collision caused or worsened the crack.
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