Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 now reports cracks in windshield while landing in Portland

 After a litany of abysmal issues reported with Boeing jets, the inner windshield of Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 jet cracked open while landing at Portland International Airport. 

The Alaska Airlines flight’s windshield cracked as it started to descend on the Portland International Airport on Sunday night (Mar 17). 

The Boeing 737-800 jet had 159 passengers and 6 crew members aboard when a small crack appeared on its inner windshield.

“The crew followed their checklists and the aircraft continued safely to its destination as scheduled. Alaska Airlines’ 737 fleet is outfitted with five-layer windscreens that have an outer pane, three inner layers and an inner pane,” said the airline, in a statement. 

“If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure,” the statement added.

Alaska Airlines said that the authorities will inspect the aircraft and the engineers on the ground will carry out the repair. 

The crack appeared on the windshield after Boeing planes reported a series of mishaps since the beginning of the year. 

“Safety is our highest priority and is at the centre of everything we do,” said Kirby, in an email to customers. 

“Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety,” said Scott Kirby. 

“While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” he added. 

This is not the first time such a crack has been reported in a Boeing jet. 

Japan’s biggest airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) in January reported that the cockpit window of its Boeing jet had suffered a crack. 

Boeing 737-800 had developed a crack in the cockpit window midair.

 All Nippon Airways (ANA) spokesperson said that no injuries were reported in the incident and that all 59 passengers and six crew members aboard the flight had been safe.

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The crack was found on the outermost of four layers of windows which surrounded the cockpit, said the spokesperson.

“The crack was not something that affected the flight’s control or pressurization,” the spokesperson said.

The ANA Flight 1182 was flying to the southern Toyama airport, however, it returned to the northern Sapporo-New Chitose airport after the crack was discovered. 

(With inputs from agencies)