A United Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in San José del Cabo, Mexico, had to turn back due to an issue with the windshield. Thankfully, the aircraft made a safe landing, and no injuries were reported.

United flight returns to Chicago

On February 12, a United Airlines

flight traveling from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in San José del Cabo, Mexico, landed back in Chicago shortly after takeoff after pilots reported an issue with the cockpit windshield.

Flight UA1879 headed west and reached an altitude of a little over 26,000 feet before it started descending again and turning around towards Chicago, according to data from Flightradar24.

Flight path

It has been reported that there was an issue with the cockpit windshield and that the pilots even suspected a possible fire. However, upon landing, no fire was found in the aircraft. CBS News quotes United Airlines as stating,

“We appreciate the quick action of our crew to keep our passengers and employees safe and we’ve arranged for a new aircraft to take customers to their destination.”

Thankfully, it was a safe landing, and no injuries were reported. It did, however, mean that the passengers of the flight were delayed. United eventually arranged another plane for the travelers, and it took off at around 14:00.

About the aircraft and flight

United flight UA1879 is a scheduled service between Chicago and the popular Mexican coastal city of San José del Cabo. It has a scheduled departure time of 09:04 and an arrival of 12:57. The flight usually takes around four hours to complete.

The carrier deploys its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on this route, and on February 12, the plane involved in the incident was registered N17244. It is a little over 25 years old and was delivered to United in November 1999.

United Airlines Boeing 737-800

Photo: Benson Truong | Shutterstock

The aircraft can seat 166 passengers, 16 of whom can be accommodated in business class. As of August 2024, it had accumulated more than 76,000 hours across 28,308 cycles, per ch-aviation.

Apart from United Airlines, American Airlines also flies daily from Chicago to San José del Cabo, also using one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Similar incidents

Aircraft turning back due to issues with the cockpit windshield are not unheard of. On February 9, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft had to make a priority landing in San José, Costa Rica, when it suffered a cracked windshield. Among the passengers on the plane was Belgian Queen Mathilde, who was traveling to Costa Rica for a humanitarian mission in her role as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium.

In November 2024, a United Airlines Boeing 737 was damaged after being struck by lightning. The incident affected the plane’s windshield, frame, and tail, and also injured a flight attendant. It was traveling from Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) to Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) as flight UA2226.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 landing at Philadelphia International Airport PHL shutterstock_772177273

Photo: Catharine Pierce | Shutterstock

In October 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 traveling from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

had to divert to Missoula due to a cracked windshield
on the flight deck.

In March 2024, an American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER operating flight 94 (AA94) from New York-JFK (JFK) to Madrid Airport (MAD) had to divert to Boston Logan (BOS) due to a cracked windshield. The aircraft was at 37,000 feet (FL370) when it declared an emergency before initiating a turnaround over the Atlantic.

How dangerous are windshield cracks?

A cracked windshield on an airplane is not that rare and may not always be a cause of concern. Many flights that are diverted because of the issue are due to precautions. As explained previously in a Simple Flying article, an aircraft’s cockpit windows are made of two or more panes of thick glass. The panes of glass also include a sheet of plastic or acrylic in between to help heat the cockpit.

Aircraft silhouette

Photo: M101Studio | Shutterstock

Each of these panes is manufactured and installed to ensure the pane can withstand pressure. Therefore, if one pane is cracked or shattered, the other glass pane can maintain pressure in the cockpit. More on this can be found in the article below.

Related

How Dangerous Are Cracks In Aircraft Windshields?

Cracked windshields on aircraft are much more common than frequent travelers realize.

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