Southwest Flight Diverts After Window Cracks Mid-Flight

A Southwest flight from Chicago Midway (MDW) to Newark, New Jersey (EWR), diverted to Cleveland (CLE) after a window pane cracked during the flight.

The airline says because the window has multiple layers, the cabin maintained its pressure, and the flight landed uneventfully in Cleveland after the crew decided to divert. It was not immediately clear what caused the window to crack.

This broken layer of window pane comes after Southwest Flight 1380 had one of its engines explode and sent shrapnel through a window, cracking the glass. That incident did cause rapid depressurization of the cabin, and nearly sucked out one passenger, 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan, who later died from her injuries.

The aircraft has been taken out of service, and the window pane will undergo a maintenance review in Cleveland, Southwest told TPG in an email.

The airline said its local staff in Cleveland is working to re-accommodate the flight's 76 passengers on different aircraft to Newark.