Southwest Plane Safely Lands With Cracked Cockpit Windshield
Southwest Airlines Flight 718 safely landed in Kansas City Wednesday evening after the cockpit windshield cracked mid-air.
According to the airline, the left outer windowpane of the cockpit cracked as the plane descended into Kansas City International Airport (MCI) just after 6:30pm. The plane was taken out of service for a routine window repair after deplaning all 117 people on board. The flight originated from Reagan International Airport (DCA) in Washington, DC, and arrived on time, according to FlightStats.com.
Southwest has encountered a number of technical issues regarding its planes this year. Earlier this month, the airline abruptly grounded 34 planes that were found to be out of compliance with FAA regulations. The most notorious mishap Southwest experienced this year was another incident involving plane glass shattering mid-air after an engine part hit a passenger window, which resulted in the airline's first onboard fatality in its nearly 50-year history.