Delta Airlines Flight 760 windshield shattered by weather balloon
- Thread starter mediumapproach
- Start date
mediumapproach
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A local balloon manufacturing company said there is a possibility the ballon was one of theirs.
This was a United 737-MAX 8 airplane. Windshields do not commonly break, but it does occasionally happen. Windshields are tested by using the “chicken gun,” which is a gun that shoots dead chickens at the windshields at varying altitudes and temperatures. This was definitely an accident. I never had a balloon get in my face, but I did fend off a few bird strikes. I always lucked out. No birds got sucked into my engines.
I have to tell this one story. I was in Miami pushing back to get to my taxiway to fly up to NYC. I kind of looked back on my side and my first officer looked back on his side when pushing back and our plane was between two other planes to make sure our wing tips clear the other planes. When I looked back, I saw a seagull sitting on the left wing. I never thought more about it. I taxied out to my runway and I had one jet in front of me, a Delta Airbus, A-320. The plane takes off and the ATC tells me to pull up onto the runway and lineup. I pulled up onto the runway and lined up my nose wheel onto the center line.
The Airbus A-320 is a pretty big plane, so I give it a minute more to be sure his wake is gone. The ATC clears me for departure and I checked one more time to make sure that all the controls were set. I took a quick look behind me and there was that darn seagull still sitting on the left wing. I thought he would leave as soon as I spooled up the engines, but he didn’t. He stayed on that wing until I lifted off the runway. I told the seagull that next time not to be so lazy and fly out to the runway.
I have to tell this one story. I was in Miami pushing back to get to my taxiway to fly up to NYC. I kind of looked back on my side and my first officer looked back on his side when pushing back and our plane was between two other planes to make sure our wing tips clear the other planes. When I looked back, I saw a seagull sitting on the left wing. I never thought more about it. I taxied out to my runway and I had one jet in front of me, a Delta Airbus, A-320. The plane takes off and the ATC tells me to pull up onto the runway and lineup. I pulled up onto the runway and lined up my nose wheel onto the center line.
The Airbus A-320 is a pretty big plane, so I give it a minute more to be sure his wake is gone. The ATC clears me for departure and I checked one more time to make sure that all the controls were set. I took a quick look behind me and there was that darn seagull still sitting on the left wing. I thought he would leave as soon as I spooled up the engines, but he didn’t. He stayed on that wing until I lifted off the runway. I told the seagull that next time not to be so lazy and fly out to the runway.