Mesa flight bound for El Paso returns safely to Houston after first officer’s windshield cracks

HOUSTON — A Mesa Airlines flight operating for United Airlines returned safely to George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday after the first officer’s windshield shattered shortly after takeoff, the airline and air traffic control recordings said.

The flight, which was bound for El Paso, landed back in Houston around 1 p.m. No injuries were reported, officials told CNN affiliate KTRK.

Mesa Airlines said the first officer’s windshield shattered shortly after departure. Although the cabin did not lose pressurization, the airline said, returning to the airport is standard procedure in such cases.

Air traffic control audio reviewed by KTRK indicated that pressurization was not lost after the windshield cracked. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed the aircraft left George Bush Intercontinental Airport around 12:20 p.m. and was traveling northwest before it turned back.

The Houston Fire Department responded and later declared the aircraft safe, the airport said in a statement to CNN.

Windshield cracks are uncommon but are treated as serious because cockpit windows are part of an aircraft’s pressurization and structural systems. In this case, the crew’s decision to return quickly is consistent with standard precautionary procedures. The incident delayed the flight and required passengers to switch aircraft, though it ended without injury.

Mesa said passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft to continue their trip. That flight later landed in El Paso at 3:14 p.m., according to Flightradar24.

CNN has reached out to United Airlines, the Houston Fire Department, the FAA and the NTSB for comment.

CNN’s Hanna Park contributed to this report.

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