Mesa Airlines-operated United Express flight UA6309 returned to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport on 27 September after the first officer’s windshield shattered shortly after take-off, sending glass fragments into the cockpit. The Embraer E175, bound for El Paso with 72 people on board, declared an emergency and landed back in Houston about 35 to 40 minutes after departure.
The crew stopped the climb at about 13,000 feet, slowed the aircraft and turned back as the cockpit damage developed. No injuries were reported, and Mesa said the aircraft did not lose cabin pressure. Houston Fire Department crews responded after landing and later cleared the jet as safe.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident. Passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft and continued to El Paso later in the day. The cause of the windshield failure has not been identified in the available reporting.