Windshield cracks on Atlanta-bound Delta flight

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta-bound Delta flight that returned to Bogota after the pilot noticed cracks in the cockpit windshield shortly  after takeoff has been canceled.

Delta flight 0444 left Colombia around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and was on its way to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, passenger David Young told the AJC.

About 35 minutes into the flight, the Boeing 757 turned around and returned to Bogota.

“The flight was in the air when they noticed cracks on the surface of the outer layer of the windshield,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black told the AJC.

No injuries were reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration will review Delta's corrective action and look at what caused the cracks, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told the AJC.

The FAA will also look to see if the cracks on the Boeing 757 are connected to a string of windshield problems on Boeing 757s.

"There are several layers of glass and this was only on one layer," Bergen said. "But of course if there is a trend, we will look into it."

Last year, an American Airlines pilots' group told CNN that officials have ignored wiring problems on Boeing 757s that have caused at least 10 windshields to shatter midflight.

Most of the problems were from windshield heaters that caused cracks and smoke to fill the cockpit, the National Transportation Safety Board told CNN.

On Wednesday, Black told the AJC that the problems were unrelated because the cracks on flight 0444 were on the outside of the windshield, not the interior. The windshield if about three-quarters of an inch thick, according to the FAA.

On Wednesday, the pilot informed air traffic control of the problem and made an emergency landing. The plane landed safely, Black said.

“Fire trucks chased us down the runway, and men with fireproof suits stood outside as we went out onto the tarmac,” Young said.

Airline crews towed the plane, which was carrying 115 passengers and a crew of six, back to the hangar.

Delta officials inspected the plane and are now making repairs. It's unclear if the cracks occurred during the flight or before the plane took off, Black said.

The flight was scheduled to arrive in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.The flight has now been canceled.

Passengers are now scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. Thursday on the same plane. They will arrive in Atlanta around 1 p.m., according to Delta.

In exchange for the 22-hour delay, Delta has given passengers tickets for several free meals and hotel rooms for the night, Black said.

Young and his wife, Kerry Dooley Young, were on their way back to their Washington, D.C. home after vacationing in Colombia. They have since gotten another flight on Avianca Airlines via Miami, and are scheduled to return to D.C. at 10 a.m.

"That's a 12-hour delay," Young said. "But way better than the 24-hour delay Delta said was the only option."