Probable cause
the arcing of the windshield heat system at the upper, aft (J1) and upper, forward (J4) terminal locations on the first officer's windshield, which caused the inner pane of glass to fracture.
NTSB analysis
During cruise flight the crew experienced smoke in the cockpit, none of it coming from an obvious place, followed by the fracture of the inner pane of the first officer's windshield. They declared an emergency and diverted the airplane to a local airport where an uneventful landing was made. Examination of the widow revealed evidence of arcing at the upper, aft (J1) and upper, forward (J4) windshield heat terminal locations and inner pane fracture initiation beneath the upper, forward (J4) terminal block. The initiation point for the arcing at both terminal locations could not be identified due to the damage sustained.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ENG08IA011 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jan 31, 2008
- Type
- Incident
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 6
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Boeing B757-200
- N-number
- N624AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Minor
- Operating rule
- Part 121 (airline)
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.