Cockpit window crack posed no danger, CAAC official says

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Friday that the crack to a cockpit window that occurred during a recent flight from Shanghai to Chengdu is a common occurrence and passengers onboard were in no danger.

The Juneyao Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Wuhan in Hubei province on Feb 19. No injuries or casualties were reported.

Zhu Tao, an administration official, said that although the middle layer of the Airbus 320's cockpit window did develop a crack in midair, the plane was still capable of arriving safely at its destination, and the pilot only decided to make an emergency landing to eliminate any risk.

He added that dropping 4,300 meters in altitude in seven minutes constitutes a normal rate of descent and posed no danger.

The windshields of Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 planes are made of three layers of glass. As long as either the middle or inner layer of the window remain intact, the plane is not in danger of depressurizing and remains safe, Zhu said.

Cracks in cockpit window happen for a number of different reasons, among them impacts with birds or hail.

Between 2017 and 2021, there were 254 such cases in China and on each occasion, crew followed standard protocols and took measures to ensure the safety of passengers, Zhu said.