A United Airlines regional jet carrying 72 people made an emergency landing in Houston on Sunday after its cockpit windshield shattered shortly after takeoff.
The El Paso-bound flight, operated by Mesa Airlines, departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport at about 12:20 PM, before pilots reported the broken windshield.
“We just had our glass break,” one pilot told air traffic control, according to audio cited by CNN.
“We’ll declare an emergency, sir. It looks like the glass busted completely through, it’s just not a layer,” the pilot added.
The crew stopped climbing and slowed the Embraer E175 after pieces of glass began falling into the cockpit.
The aircraft safely returned to Houston at about 1:00 PM., according to the Federal Aviation Administration and no injuries or loss of cabin pressure were reported.
“The first officer’s windshield shattered shortly after takeoff and while there was no depressurization, standard procedure in such cases are to return to field,” a Mesa Airlines spokesperson told CNN.
The Houston Fire Department responded before declaring the aircraft safe.
Passengers were transferred to another aircraft, which later arrived in El Paso at 3:14 PM, according to Flightradar24.
The FAA said it will investigate the incident.
