Ever imagined flying 36,000 feet high and getting hit by a mystery object? Well, passengers aboard United flight 1093 experienced that reality when something whacked their windshield mid-air. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t an alien spaceship. Instead, it seems a balloon from Palo Alto’s WindBorne Systems, a startup conducting tests, may be the unexpected culprit behind the chaos. Talk about an unplanned twist in the sky!
The incident happened on October 16, forcing the flight from Denver to divert to Salt Lake City. Luckily, only one minor injury was reported, but the passengers ended up arriving in Los Angeles nearly six hours late. WindBorne CEO John Dean quickly jumped on social media, admitting their balloon could be to blame and assuring that they are working with the National Transportation Safety Board. They might want to rethink their launch strategy though, right?
It’s all a little wild, isn’t it? A test balloon causing turbulence for a packed flight gives new meaning to “clear to land.” With advancements in technology, it’s fascinating to see how innovations can have unexpected—and sometimes humorous—consequences. What’s your wildest in-flight story that will make this balloon saga seem tame?
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Andrew Johnson
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