United MAX Hit by Falling Object at 36,000 Feet

What Hit the Aircraft? Competing Hypotheses

• Initial speculation focused on meteorites or “space debris,” with some noting we’re near the Orionid meteor shower and that meteors vastly outnumber man‑made objects in the atmosphere.
• Others argue that even with more satellites today, collision odds with aircraft remain “effectively zero” given tiny cross‑sections of both planes and satellites.
• Later updates to the article and external links indicate investigators are now focusing on a weather balloon payload as the leading explanation, with some calling this “far more likely than a meteor,” though still spectacularly unlucky.
• Alternative ideas discussed: hail, blue ice from another aircraft, a drone, bird strike, fragments from another aircraft, or even a bullet fired from high elevation. Many of these are judged unlikely given altitude, lack of biological traces, and the kind of metal-on-metal marks reported.

Windshield Damage, Pressure, and Spall

• Cockpit windows are multilayer laminated glass. Reports say only one layer was damaged and there was no depressurization; the crew descended to reduce pressure differential.
• Commenters debate pressure directions: static pressure outside is lower than cabin pressure at cruise, but airflow imposes additional dynamic pressure.
• Photos reportedly show exterior impact and a skid mark on the frame, consistent with a small, dense object.
• The pilot’s arm injuries spark debate: some see fresh shrapnel-like cuts from glass fragments (spalling of inner layers), others think earlier, partially healed wounds or unrelated images. Overall, the causal link remains unclear.

Birds, Drones, and Altitude

• Bird strikes are common but usually leave blood and tissue; none were reported here.
• Some note a few bird species can reach extreme altitudes, but those are not typical for this region, and the plane was above normal bird and most drone operating ranges.
• High-altitude balloons and their payloads are seen as one of the few plausible objects routinely present near that flight level.

Rarity, Risk, and Reporting

• Multiple comments stress how extraordinarily rare such a collision is, yet acknowledge that with vast numbers of flights and balloons, low‑probability events can occur.
• There’s criticism of early media coverage: mislabeling, technical errors, copying unverified social posts, and rapidly changing headlines from “space debris” to a generic “falling object.”
• Several participants prefer to wait for NTSB or similar investigation results rather than draw firm conclusions from partial photos and anecdotes.