Cracked Windshield Forces Crew to Return Airliner to Sarasota Bradenton International

Aug. 24—MANATEE — An American Airlines crew had to return to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport Tuesday afternoon because of a cracked windshield.

The flight to Reagan National Airport had been airborne for only about 10 minutes when the crew announced that it had a maintenance issue and needed to return to the airport, passenger Robin Kollar said.

The aircraft had to circle for about 45 minutes over the Gulf of Mexico to burn off fuel. The plane landed without incident or injury, Kollar said.

Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the airport, confirmed the incident on one of American's smaller planes and said that the cracked windshield was not because of a bird strike, although bird strikes are not uncommon.

"It was a little unnerving. I don't know whether or not that's a newsworthy event, but I thought I would share," Kollar told The Herald.

Kollar planned to resume her travels Wednesday onboard another flight.

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