- A Japanese domestic flight was forced to turn back after a crack was found in the cockpit window.
- A spokesperson for the airline said that crack was on the outermost of four window layers.
A Boeing 737-800 aircraft was forced to return to its departure airport mid-flight after a crack in the cockpit window was discovered, reports say.
The domestic All Nippon Airways Flight 1182 was heading from Sapporo-New Chitose airport to Toyama airport in Japan when the crack was discovered.
A spokesperson for All Nippon Airways confirmed in a statement to Business Insider that Flight 1182 "experienced a crack on one of the outermost of the four layers of the cockpit window."
They said the plane returned safely to Sapporo, and that cabin pressure remained normal throughout the flight.
"The safety of our passengers and flight crew is our priority and we apologize for the inconvenience," they said.
When asked for comment, Boeing told BI: "Kindly reach out to the airline for comment."
No injuries were reported among 59 passengers and six crew, according to an airline spokesperson, per Reuters.
Boeing's planes have been under scrutiny after a dramatic incident onboard a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines, when it lost part of its fuselage mid-flight and had to make an emergency landing after a door plug blew out midair leaving a large hole in the side of the plane.
The incident resulted in the FAA grounding 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 indefinitely for safety checks and saying it would tighten oversight of Boeing.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines said preliminary checks found loose parts on several grounded aircraft.
The All Nippon Airways flight was not a Max 9.
January 14, 2024: This story has been updated to include comments from All Nippon Airways.