The results of the investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding an unidentified object that collided with a Boeing 737 aircraft of United Airlines at an altitude of about 11,000 meters have been published. According to the New York Post, the incident occurred last month, on October 16, and the culprit turned out to be an ordinary weather balloon. As a result of the impact, the airliner’s pilot sustained numerous lacerations from the shattered windshield; nevertheless, he managed to successfully land the aircraft on an alternate runway in Salt Lake City. According to preliminary data, this balloon was launched the day before for atmospheric research and belonged to the company WindBorne Systems. The probe traveled across Nevada to the southern part of the country, then changed course and headed north to Utah. The Californian aerospace firm did not deny that at a certain point they lost control over the navigation of their high-altitude, gas-filled object. However, company representatives emphasized that their balloons are designed to minimize potential damage in the event of a possible contact with an aircraft. The report indicated that such probes do not have large metallic components. Nevertheless, the airliner’s windshield, capable of withstanding the impact of a bird weighing over one kilogram, could not handle the load. Photographs released after the incident showed that the captain’s arm was bleeding, and the cockpit, along with the instrument panel, was covered in debris. It also became known that the ship’s captain noticed the approaching object directly on course but did not have time to take evasive action. In response to the NTSB report, WindBorne Systems issued an official statement announcing the implementation of four new safety measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future. These include reducing the time balloons spend in areas of active commercial air traffic, improving air traffic notification systems, developing collision avoidance algorithms, and reducing the overall weight of their probes. “We are tremendously relieved that flight UA 1093 ended in a safe landing with minimal consequences,” their statement noted.
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