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A G200 captain reported they experienced left cockpit windshield delamination at FL430. The flight diverted to a suitable airport.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1293876 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201509 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Gulfstream G200 (IAI 1126 Galaxy) |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Cockpit Window |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Not Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40 Flight Crew Total 8750 Flight Crew Type 725 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe |
Narrative:
The first two legs of the trip were uneventful. While level at FL430; mach .80 in smooth air; the lh cockpit windshield shattered. It was an explosive shattering; sounding like someone had struck the cockpit with a baseball bat; but fortunately the windshield did not depart the aircraft; or begin leaking air that we could tell.we immediately went on 100 percent oxygen and secured our shoulder straps; and I then asked ATC for a descent to FL280; advising them we were experiencing some windscreen delamination and wanted to reduce our cabin pressure. We were given a descent and [the first officer] slowed the aircraft to mach .70 during the descent; then 270 knots IAS after leveling off. During the descent I switched the cabin pressurization system to manual and raised the cabin pressure to between 9;000 - 10;000 feet; establishing a cabin differential of approximately 4.5 psi.I called dispatch on the satphone to advise them of the issue and get divert instructions from maintenance. We stayed at FL280; 270 KIAS until given a descent on the arrival into [our divert airport]; and I monitored the electrical page on my side to watch for windshield arcing (we elected to leave the windshield heats on low); and continued to manually adjust the cabin pressure throughout the descent to maintain a minimal cabin differential.the landing was uneventful; the ship was written up and turned over to [the] maintenance department.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A G200 Captain reported they experienced left cockpit windshield delamination at FL430. The flight diverted to a suitable airport.
Narrative: The first two legs of the trip were uneventful. While level at FL430; Mach .80 in smooth air; the LH Cockpit Windshield shattered. It was an explosive shattering; sounding like someone had struck the cockpit with a baseball bat; but fortunately the windshield did not depart the aircraft; or begin leaking air that we could tell.We immediately went on 100 percent oxygen and secured our shoulder straps; and I then asked ATC for a descent to FL280; advising them we were experiencing some windscreen delamination and wanted to reduce our cabin pressure. We were given a descent and [the First Officer] slowed the aircraft to Mach .70 during the descent; then 270 knots IAS after leveling off. During the descent I switched the cabin pressurization system to manual and raised the cabin pressure to between 9;000 - 10;000 feet; establishing a cabin differential of approximately 4.5 psi.I called Dispatch on the satphone to advise them of the issue and get divert instructions from Maintenance. We stayed at FL280; 270 KIAS until given a descent on the arrival into [our divert airport]; and I monitored the electrical page on my side to watch for windshield arcing (we elected to leave the windshield heats on Low); and continued to manually adjust the cabin pressure throughout the descent to maintain a minimal cabin differential.The landing was uneventful; the ship was written up and turned over to [the] maintenance department.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.