The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Southwest Airlines, that suffered from a cracked windshield while in flight on Sunday. The aircraft, flying from Honolulu to San Diego, returned to Honolulu safely following the incident.
A picture of the windshield shows a large crack, taking up most of the window on the right side of the cockpit. No injuries were connected to the incident.
Southwest Airlines flight 2367 (SWA2367) departed Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Sunday afternoon around 16:20. About two hours into the flight, the flight crew reported a cracked windshield, according to Hawaii News Now. The aircraft rerouted back to Honolulu and landed safely around 19:30, with emergency responders ready to attend to the plane.
The airline apologized for the incident, according to CBS8 San Diego.
"We apologize to Customers for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience and understanding as we always maintain Safety as our uncompromising priority," said a representative from Southwest."
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Some of the passengers onboard described their experience hearing that the flight was turning around.
"It was quite an excursion," said Grace Lantz, a passenger, to Hawaii News Now. "We were told that there was a crack in the windshield and that if we felt a U-turn, that that's what's happening."
Despite the aircraft arriving safely back in Honolulu, Lantz said Southwest's accommodations were below par as she pointed to a line near the airline's check-in counter on Monday morning.
"We were actually waiting for our hotel for a good hour in a line that look a lot like this," Lantz explained. "They tried as hard, you know, as hard as they can. And we all know Southwest."
The incident created a ripple effect for other passengers trying to get home before the start of the work week. Eric Seeman, another traveler onboard, said he has yet to receive transportation vouchers from the airline.
"I've got a dog that was boarded, so I've got an extra couple of days of boarding fees for him," Seeman said. "I'm actually going to Chicago - missed a day at work. My wife's a nurse - she's missing a day at work. Kids are going to be, late for school, another day."
One passenger took a photo of the cracked windshield, showing multiple cracks covering the first officer's side of the cockpit.
Officials are investigating the cause of the crack. Since the windshield was still intact and did not wholly shatter, Hawaii News Now's aviation expert Peter Foreman said the aircraft was still considered safe.
"The glass in the windshields of airliners is really strong, and it's multiple panes," Foreman explained. "Now usually what causes a break is a heating element inside the between the two pieces of glass, you can get a bubble, you can get a crack, that type of thing."
The 737 MAX 8, N8701Q, was reportedly removed from service for maintenance, but repairs only lasted overnight as it was deployed the next morning to Hilo as SWA1246. The aircraft performed six more legs on Monday, according to Flightradar24.com data
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Sources: CBS 8 San Diego, Hawaii News Now