Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Windscreen Cracks During Landing

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800. [Courtesy: Alaska Airlines]

The crew of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 flight landing at Portland International Airport (KPDX) in Oregon got a surprise on Sunday evening when a crack appeared in the aircraft's interior windscreen during the descent.

The flight had originated from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) in Arlington, Virginia.

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The incident is the latest for the airline operating a Boeing aircraft. In January, a door plug installed on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out during a flight, prompting the airline to temporarily ground its fleet of the aircraft.

The crack was minor, according to a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines: "The crew followed their checklists, and the aircraft continued safely to its destination as scheduled."

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There was no danger to the flight crew or passengers, as Alaska Airlines’ 737 fleet is equipped with five-layer windscreens that have an outer pane, three inner layers, and an inner pane, the spokesperson added.

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"If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure. Our maintenance team inspected and repaired the windshield, and the aircraft is back in service," the spokesperson said.

Alaska Airlines boeing 737 KDCA. Portland International Airport KPDX Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.