Exclusive
2:17 PM PT — Sources close to the investigation tell TMZ … the culprit for the cracked windshield is believed to be a bird that came into contact while in the air. Mystery solved, or so it seems.
An American Airlines flight encountered one of the most terrifying things a plane could go through mid-flight — one of its windows started looking like a spider web … and it happened in the cockpit, no less.
Check out these wild photos TMZ obtained of an AA flight that was on its way to Cleveland, OH Saturday … something apparently struck the cockpit’s windshield and damn near shattered it to pieces.
BTW, this happened midway through the trip … the plane was forced to turn around for an emergency landing in Chicago.