Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Windscreen Cracks at 40,000 Feet, Prompting Emergency Reroute

A Virgin Atlantic flight bound for San Francisco was forced to return to London after the Boeing 787-9’s windscreen cracked at an altitude of 40,000 feet. This midair scare, which occurred three hours into the flight from London’s Heathrow Airport, adds to a series of unsettling incidents involving Boeing aircraft.

The damage to the windscreen involved the outer layer, which is designed as a non-structural, wear-resistant component made of multiple layers. Virgin Atlantic clarified that the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the aircraft or lead to cabin decompression, despite initial passenger concerns. The incident occurred over the North Atlantic, between Greenland and Iceland, in frigid temperatures reaching -58 degrees.

Photos of the cracked windscreen, which were later published by The Sun, visually documented the severity of the incident. Following the event, the affected passengers were provided accommodation and completed their journey to San Francisco the following day.

This incident is part of a troubling pattern for Boeing, which has seen several of its planes involved in alarming episodes recently. Just last month, a Southwest Airlines Boeing aircraft made an unusually low approach over a residential area in Oklahoma City. Additionally, another Southwest flight experienced a significant altitude drop to just 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean en route to Hawaii. In another case, a Boeing 737-800 operated by United Airlines lost an external panel while flying from San Francisco to Oregon.

These series of incidents highlight ongoing safety challenges for Boeing, prompting increased scrutiny from aviation authorities and the public.