A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX at cruising altitude — 36,000 feet above the earth — was struck by… a weather balloon. Yes, that’s correct. Not waste from space, not a meteorite, not even a drone. A balloon.
Where Science Meets Sky Chaos
Here’s what went down. Flight UA1093, on a normal route from Denver to Los Angeles, with roughly 140 passengers aboard, was flying along when everything was suddenly disrupted. Something hit the cockpit window. The window shattered, and one of the pilots was injured. Thankfully, it wasn’t life-threatening; nevertheless, no one bought a ticket to have unexpected turbulence in the cockpit.
The flight crew took quick action to divert to Salt Lake City, and somehow (shattered glass, passengers moving in the cabin, and pure adrenaline) the crew made a successful landing. Everyone on board was safe, but shaken, and the captain probably needed to change his uniform after the hormones from that experience settled down.
Let’s Leap Forward — Who’s To Blame?
After the window had shattered (and the dust, and the glass, had settled), when everything was said and done, theories started flying quicker than the airplane. Was it a piece of space debris? A rogue meteor? A strange experimental drone? Nope. The answer was quite low-tech.
A few days later, John Dean, the chief executive officer of WindBorne Systems, surfaced with a rather astonishing admission.
“We believe the object that struck UA1093 was probably one of our weather balloons.”
WindBorne, if you aren’t already aware, produces smart weather balloons — floating sensors that gather live atmosphere data. The company has launched more than 4,000 of these devices globally, always communicating with aviation authorities such as the FAA in advance. They even issue official NOTAMs (Notice to Air Missions) to inform pilots whenever they have a balloon in the area.
So, how? How did this happen, on earth, or up there?
Dean is Taking It Seriously
Dean didn’t mince words about his feelings. He posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“I was dismayed to see shattered glass inside the aircraft. This is very serious and completely unacceptable, especially because the pilot was injured unnecessarily.”
You can practically feel the guilt and disbelief in his voice. WindBorne claims their balloons are safe, even in the cases of collisions in the rare instance this happens. But this time, something obviously went wrong.
It’s still a bit crazy to picture it: a plane flying quietly through the upper atmosphere when — bang — something you can’t even see strikes the windshield. No warning. No radar alert. Just the impact.
The entire episode lasted less than seven minutes, before the pilots diverted the aircraft. Imagine being one of 140 passengers, maybe watching a movie, or napping unaware that the crew up front had that life and death moment a few minutes before.
Now Everyone Is Digging Into It
WindBorne Systems is working closely with the NTSB and FAA to determine just how this balloon ended up in front of a commercial plane. The two agencies are looking into the trajectory of the balloon, timelines of communications, and correctness of the existing airspace coordination system.
For the record WindBorne added they had “coordinated with the FAA through the life of the company” — that does not make a cracked cockpit any easier to explain.
The Larger Implications that Went Unnoticed
What is more alarming than a weather balloon colliding with a plane is that it can even happen at all. In a time when skies are being constructed with ever more satellites, drones, and other atmospheric sensors, this feels like a legitimate red flag for aviation safety worldwide.
Even France’s Louvre could probably use this advice (after their recent security breach): When we start placing too much trust in systems, we forget that the unexpected will always find a way of happening.
No one died. The aircraft landed safely. The pilot’s injuries were minor. But for an industry that has misplaced near obsession for precision and control, this touched a nerve — literally and figuratively.
If a weather balloon can punch into the cockpit window of a Boeing 737 MAX flying at 36,000 feet, perhaps we need to reconsider how we share the air.
Occasionally, the most simple thing – a balloon – makes the greatest mess.
