Delta Flight Disruption as Cockpit Window Opens Mid-Flight (2018)

Delta Flight 589 returned to Minneapolis shortly after departure when a cockpit window came off its rails, filling the flight deck with noise and disrupting communications with air traffic control.

Communications Break Down

Delta Flight 589 departed Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport on Runway 30R for Seattle with 169 people aboard. Shortly after takeoff, Minneapolis Departure Control tried repeatedly to contact the aircraft without success.

Controllers considered using another Delta aircraft to relay instructions to dispatch, but that step was cancelled when communications were restored.

The Window Opens

When the crew re-established contact, the pilots reported significant background noise caused by an open cockpit window. The window had come off its rails, allowing high-speed airflow into the cockpit and making radio communications difficult.

The crew stopped the climb at approximately 7,000 feet and returned to Minneapolis.

Safe Return

The Boeing 737-900 landed on Runway 30L about 20 minutes after departure. The crew had declared an emergency using transponder code 7700.

Delta later said the event was related to a problem with the seals of the first officer's windshield. A replacement aircraft, N824DN, was sent to operate the flight to Seattle, resulting in a delay of roughly two and a half hours.

The crew stopped climbing at about 7,000 feet rather than continuing toward Seattle. The aircraft remained under control, and the pilots declared an emergency using transponder code 7700 before returning to Minneapolis.

The physical problem was later linked to the cockpit window. The sliding window had come off its rails, allowing high-speed airflow into the cockpit. Delta subsequently identified a problem with the first officer's windshield seals and arranged a replacement aircraft for the onward flight.

The crew's decision to stop the climb limited the time spent in the abnormal condition. The aircraft was still close to Minneapolis, and the pilots could return to the airport from which they had just departed.

The incident ended without injury or loss of control. The replacement aircraft later continued the journey to Seattle, but the original 737 remained out of the planned operation while the windshield problem was addressed.

The aircraft remained controllable throughout the return. The main difficulty was the combination of high airflow and noise in the cockpit and the resulting disruption to communications with ATC.

The 737's return was completed about 20 minutes after departure, limiting the duration of the abnormal condition. Delta then arranged a replacement aircraft, allowing the passengers' journey to continue after the original aircraft was removed from service.

The aircraft remained under control throughout the event, and the crew's decision to return avoided prolonging the communication and airflow problem.

The crew then completed the return without a reported loss of control or injury.

“On October 23, 2018, Delta Airlines Flight DL-589, operated by a Boeing 737-900 registered as N809DN, departed Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) en route to Seattle, Washington, with 169 individuals on board.”

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