Packed jumbo jet’s windshield cracked at 40,000ft sparking fears of new flaw at troubled Boeing
A PACKED jumbo jet’s windshield cracked at 40,000ft sparking fears of a new flaw at troubled manufacturer Boeing.
The Sun was shown a shocking snap of the Virgin Atlantic plane window after it returned to the UK.
Alarmingly the central glass panel appeared to be dented in multiple areas.
The cockpit crew were terrified as the four-layer thick glass smashed three hours into a flight from Heathrow to San Francisco.
Virgin Flight VS41 was between Greenland and Iceland when it was forced to turn back to the UK on May 27.
The jet’s altitude meant it was not hit by a bird and has left investigators baffled.
Outside temperatures were -50C.
The pilots dismissed fears of a decompression of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9.
The airline apologised to passengers, who were offered accommodation and completed their journeys the next day.
Last month an engine cowling on a Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off in the US.
The Southwest Airlines flight with 135 passengers and six crew on board returned to Denver after setting off for Houston.
In January a door blew off an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, to California.
Some of the 177 passengers and crew were injured.
Boeing has been trying to repair its reputation since crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.
The firm was approached for comment.