What happened
During a period of significant wind activity, multiple aircraft experienced damage to their cockpit windows. In one instance, the captain reported that while making a turn to a heading of 270 degrees shortly after departure, the crew noticed the first officer's windshield was cracking and beginning to arc. The captain notified Air Traffic Control of their intention to return to the airport, noting that his own windshield had also begun cracking, though it was not arcing. The first officer's windscreen eventually stopped arcing, allowing the crew to land without further incident.
Throughout the afternoon, a total of 14 airplanes were affected, resulting in 26 fractured windshields. One flight crew reported hearing a loud thump during the landing roll and observing the first officer's window develop a spider-web pattern, though no impact was seen. Another crew noted taxiing through an environment where dirt and dust were being blown around.
The investigation
An examination of the damaged windshields was conducted to determine the source of the fractures. Investigators found that the impact markings on all 26 windshields were caused by impact with foreign object debris (FOD). No anomalies were identified on any of the windshields prior to the impacts.
Findings
Weather conditions at the time of the events included winds shifting between 280 degrees and 030 degrees, with sustained speeds between 28 and 36 knots. Wind gusts as high as 44 knots were recorded during this period.