Flight from Denver diverted after windshield cracks

DENVER - A flight from Denver to Calgary was diverted to Kalispell, Montana on Tuesday, after a report of a cracked windshield.

The CRJ aircraft operated by SKYWEST, a United partner, left Denver at 9:06 a.m. with 45 passengers on board.

Flight 5827 landed in Kalispell at 11:30 a.m., according to United spokesperson Jeff Kovick.

"It's not a common occurrence," Kovick said.

Gregg and Mercy Tucker were on the flight, headed to Calgary for their 10th wedding anniversary.

"About an hour into the flight there was kind of a crack or a bouncing sound, kind of like hitting turbulence, and about five minutes later the captain got on and said not to be alarmed, that the co-pilot's window had actually shattered. It was about 34,000 feet where the plane was at, at the time," said Gregg Tucker. "There was definitely kind of a collective gasp when they heard the word 'shattered,' but he definitely assured us that it was all in one piece still, just kind of a spider web across the window."

United has arranged for ground transportation for customers to get them to their destination "safely and as soon as possible," Kovick said.

The bus should arrive in Calgary by 8:30 p.m., according to Kovick.

United told NBC News a cracked windshield happens every few months over their entire fleet of planes. Passengers are not in danger. United says it especially happens in mountain regions like Denver because of the pressure.

Cliff Lawson flew for 34 years and is now a retired United pilot. He agrees that no passengers were in danger.

"We would think of that in my car, what that would be (like), where it's entirely different with the airplane. In the airplane, those two pans are probably an inch and a half thick, so it's really quite a sturdy operation," said Lawson. "It's not a big deal."