The mystery object that struck a plane in flight? It was probably a weather balloon

The recent incident involving a United Airlines flight has ignited a flurry of speculation across social media, with theories ranging from debris from outer space to high-altitude birds. However, it appears that the cause of the significant damage to flight 1093's front window may be linked to a weather balloon. Kai Marshland, co-founder of WindBorne Systems, a weather prediction firm, shared insights regarding the event in an email to Ars. "I believe this was a WindBorne balloon," he stated. The company became aware of the incident involving UA1093 late on Sunday evening and promptly initiated an investigation. By early Monday morning, they submitted their preliminary findings to both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and are continuing their collaboration with these agencies. WindBorne Systems, established six years ago, utilizes a fleet of cost-effective weather balloons to gather atmospheric data, which they integrate into their proprietary AI-driven weather models. Scott Manley, a well-known YouTube creator and pilot, was among the first to hypothesize that a WindBorne balloon might have collided with the aircraft, after aligning balloon data points with the flight's trajectory. Following inquiries from Ars, WindBorne confirmed that it is likely one of their balloons struck the United Airlines plane during a flight from Denver to Los Angeles on Thursday. Images circulating on social media depict a significant crack in one of the front windows of the Boeing 737 MAX, and there are reports of the pilot sustaining minor injuries from glass shards resulting from the impact.