CAL plane’s windshield cracks mid-air, flight diverted to Virginia

(GUARDIAN MEDIA) A “technical issue” forced a Caribbean Airlines flight to be diverted to Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States of America, this morning.

BW520 departed Piarco at 11:48 pm and was en route to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport when cracks developed in the jet’s windshield.

Guardian Media understands 111 passengers and crew were on board.

Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com shows that at 3:34 am, the aircraft slowed from 427 knots to 309 knots and descended from 38,000 feet to 27,000 feet in the space of eight minutes.

This is most likely as a result of crew action, as this is the standard operating procedure in such a situation. The aircraft continued its descent and landed safely at 4:36 am in Virginia.

In a press release issued at 11:20 am, Caribbean Airlines confirmed the incident saying:

“The aircraft is on the ground at Norfolk and the airline is in contact with all persons affected by the disruption. The passengers have been accommodated and arrangements are being made to get them to their final destinations.”

The flight was being operated by a 23-year-old Boeing 737-800NG, registered as 9Y-GEO.