A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Newark made an emergency landing Wednesday due to a broken window.
Flight No. 957 from Chicago was diverted to Cleveland, Ohio just before 11 a.m. — two hours after taking off, according to Flight View.
Pictures posted on Twitter show a gaping hole in one of the Boeing 737-700’s windows.
The 76 passengers aboard the flight were calmly directed by a crew member to grab their belongings and hop on another flight.
“We’re going to walk you right onto the plane next door and we’re going to let you taken care of,” the member tells them in a video posted on Twitter.
The jet was flying at 26,000 feet over Lake Erie at 514 mph when it was suddenly diverted, Flight Aware shows.
A Southwest spokeswoman said the decision was made to divert the plane “for maintenance review of one of the multiple layers of a window pane.”
“The flight landed uneventfully in Cleveland,” she said. “The aircraft has been taken out of service for maintenance review, and our local Cleveland Employees are working diligently to accommodate the 76 customers on a new aircraft to Newark.”
Passenger Alejandro Aguina said the crack was located on the “outside.”
“On my way to NJ for work and #Southwest957 gets a window crack. Only outside crack so we’re all safe,” he tweeted. “On our way to NJ in new plane. Thanks to the @SouthwestAir crew and pilots for handling it professionally.”
The harrowing situation comes two weeks after a woman was nearly sucked out a Southwest
flight when an engine exploded midair, causing shrapnel to shatter the plane’s window.
Mom of two Jennifer Riordan was killed April 17 aboard the flight from New York City to Dallas.
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