Should we be worried about 'cracked windows' after BA flight forced to turn back? Aviation expert reveals the strict safety checks behind every flight

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Waks, E. D. (2026, October 14). Should we be worried about 'cracked windows' after BA flight forced to turn back? Aviation expert reveals the strict safety checks behind every flight. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/travel/article-16207833/cracked-windows-british-airways-flight-expert.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-14 · by Erin Deborah Waks

Quick Summary

A British Airways flight from Gatwick to Faro, Portugal, turned back due to a reported cracked passenger window, described by the airline as a minor technical issue. This incident follows another concerning event involving a Ryanair flight where a window was shattered at high altitude. Aviation expert David Martin emphasizes that commercial aircraft undergo rigorous safety checks and stress tests designed to ensure structural integrity well beyond typical flight conditions. He highlights the importance of regular maintenance and inspections, including post-turbulence examinations, which help maintain stringent aviation safety standards in the UK.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-14, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Summary unavailable.

Written for “Cracked Windows On BA Flight” on 2026-10-14, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Cracked Windows On BA Flight
Other · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 5482 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Erin Deborah Waks
3 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Also by Erin Deborah Waks
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

British Airways Faro Flight BA2660 Gatwick Portugal

Subjects

British Airways ORG · 3× Faro GPE · 1× Gatwick GPE · 1× Greece GPE · 1× Ljubiša Karović PERSON · 1× Memmingen GPE · 1× Portugal GPE · 1× Ryanair ORG · 1× Serbia GPE · 1× Thessaloniki GPE · 1×

Narrative

A British Airways flight was forced to turn back mid-journey due to a minor technical issue David Martin, managing director of aerospace tooling supplier Heamar, explained that the rigorous safety checks aircraft undergo mean passengers should be reassured. He said: 'Under UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Part 145, an aircraft cannot be released until engineers have the correct facilities, tooling, data and sign-offs.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-14

Claims (18 extracted, 0 hedged)

A British Airways flight was forced to turn back mid-air after reports of a cracked passenger window, prompting fresh questions about how safe aircraft really are. asserted
aircraft → force → questions
Flight BA2660, which was travelling from Gatwick to Faro, Portugal, returned safely to the airport on Tuesday morning. asserted
which → travel → morning
British Airways described the problem as a ‘minor technical issue’. asserted
Airways → describe → issue
The incident comes amid heightened concern over aircraft window safety following a terrifying incident involving a Ryanair flight on July 10. asserted
incident → come → July
Ljubiša Karović, 61, from Serbia, was left with his head and shoulders hanging outside a plane at 38,000ft after a window was smashed during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. asserted
window → leave → Memmingen
His wife desperately clung to his feet as he was partially pulled out of the aircraft. asserted
he → cling → aircraft
A fan blade from the Boeing 737-800’s right engine is said to have broken loose shortly after take-off, sending fragments flying into the window and shattering it. But how dangerous are cracked plane windows – and should passengers be worried? asserted
passengers → say → it
A British Airways flight was forced to turn back mid-journey due to a minor technical issue David Martin, managing director of aerospace tooling supplier Heamar, explained that the rigorous safety checks aircraft undergo mean passengers should be reassured. He said: 'Under UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Part 145, an aircraft cannot be released until engineers have the correct facilities, tooling, data and sign-offs. asserted
engineers → force → facilities
'Specialist maintenance tools enable frontline teams to carry out checks quickly and correctly, while meeting stringent safety thresholds.' asserted
tools → enable → thresholds
He added: 'Commercial aircraft are designed and stress-tested to withstand rapid vertical and lateral motion far beyond what's typically encountered in flight. ' asserted
what → add → flight
In addition, they undergo regular structural maintenance using highly specialised tooling and machinery. asserted
they → undergo → tooling
Every aircraft undergoes both preventative maintenance and detailed post-turbulence inspections to ensure its structural integrity and ongoing safety. asserted
aircraft → undergo → integrity
These checks include examining wing and tail structures, landing gear (particularly if turbulence occurred during takeoff or landing), and cabin fittings. asserted
turbulence → include → takeoff
' The situation has raised concerns regarding the possibility of a cracked window on a plane David explained that compliance standards are especially high in the UK. asserted
standards → raise → UK
He added that 'everything is calibrated to ensure frontline teams can carry out safety checks quickly and accurately'. asserted
teams → add → checks
Naturally, reports of incidents such as this have increased fear - but David has warned passengers not to worry. asserted
David → increase → passengers
'Increased social media coverage (including viral videos of recent incidents) has understandably amplified public fears,' he said. asserted
he → increase → fears
'But these stringent provisions should help ease concerns and reinforce that the UK's compliance-led system continues to uphold some of the world's most rigorous aviation safety standards.' asserted
system → help → standards
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