[jccc]

From the first paragraph:

Earlier reports suggested it could have been something from space but that seems unlikely since the velocity of anything that survived reentry would likely have caused substantial damage beyond a cracked windshield. The theory was likely amplified by the captain of the flight who reportedly described the object that hit the plane as “space debris.”

Maybe the submitted headline isn’t justified?

[thegrim33]

The claim that the captain said it was "space debris" was from a reddit comment from the allegedly neighbor of a flight attendant that was on the flight. Not the most credible of sources.

[dang]

Article's original title ("Airliner hit by possible space debris") has been updated so we've made the same update above. Thanks!

[dghf]

The article says it's been updated. Possibly the submitted headline reflects the original version?

[jccc]

Was wondering the same the moment I posted.

Here’s what appears to be the prior version from archive.ph, which does align more with the submitted hed:

Authorities are now considering whether a falling object, possibly from space, caused damage to the windshield and frame on a United 737 MAX over Colorado on Thursday. Various reports that include watermarked photos of the damage suggest the plane was struck by a falling object not long after taking off from Denver for Los Angeles. One of the photos shows a pilot’s arm peppered with small cuts and scratches. In his remarks after the incident, the captain reportedly described the object that hit the plane as “space debris,” which would suggest it was from a rocket or satellite or some other human-made object. Some reports say it was possibly a meteorite.

Whatever hit the plane, it was an enormously rare event and likely the first time it’s ever happened. The plane diverted without incident to Salt Lake City where the approximately 130 passengers were put on another plane to finish the last half of the 90-minute flight. Apparently only one layer of the windshield was damaged, and there was no depressurization. The crew descended from 36,000 feet to 26,000 feet for the diversion, likely to ease the pressure differential on the remaining layers of windshield. Neither the airline nor FAA have commented.

Would be nice to update the HN hed though.