A flight departing from George Bush International Airport (IAH) in Houston was forced to make an emergency return to the airport on Sunday afternoon.
Mesa Airlines’ flight from IAH to El Paso International Airport departed around 12:20 p.m. with 72 passengers aboard the plane, per CNN. The United Airlines regional jet began to travel northwest, but it was quickly forced to turn around after the windshield glass shattered shortly before takeoff. Pieces of glass were sent into the cockpit, though neither the cockpit nor the rest of the aircraft depressurized.
“We’ll declare an emergency, sir,” the Mesa Airlines pilot told air traffic control, per audio captured by ATC.com. “It looks like the glass busted completely through; it’s just not a layer.”
The plane stopped its climb, slowly turned around and began its descent, then returned to IAH around 1 p.m. CT, per a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Passengers were then transferred from their original flight to a replacement aircraft, which successfully landed in El Paso at 4:14 p.m. CT.
No injuries were reported in Sunday’s incident. The Houston Fire Department arrived on scene at IAH later Saturday afternoon, then declared the aircraft safe, per CNN.
Founded in 1982, Mesa Airlines operates out of 73 cities across North America, with IAH and Washington-Dulles serving as its two major hubs. The company ended its agreement with American Airlines in 2023, and now operates solely as a partner of United Airlines. 25 different airlines fly out of IAH daily, including 19 international airlines. That count does not include regional airlines like Mesa Airlines.
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This article originally published at Houston-bound flight makes emergency landing after windshield completely breaks.