Cracked windshield forces American Airlines emergency landing

[June 04, 2018]    (Reuters) - A hail storm cracked the windshield of an American Airlines jetliner headed to Phoenix and forced it to divert to El Paso, Texas, Sunday night, officials said.

Flight 1897 from San Antonio, Texas, to Phoenix diverted "due to damage sustained by weather in flight," the airline said in a statement, but gave few other details other than the plane sustained damage to "its nose and windshield" from hail.

None of the 130 passengers and crew of five was injured and the plane was able to taxi normally to the gate, the statement said.

The Airbus A319 landed shortly after 8 p.m. local time and the aircraft was being evaluated by maintenance crews, the airline said. All passengers were later taken on another plane to their destination.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Peter Graff)

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