Narrative:

During the climb; we had been recently cleared to proceed direct to ZZZ; while climbing through FL370 to FL380; we heard a loud bang and heard what I interpreted as an airflow change in the cabin. I immediately noticed that the captain's windshield appeared to have shattered in the lower right side third of the window with multiple cracks now following from this area to the left side of the windshield. Additionally; the windshield appeared to be bowing out on the right side with the seal partially protruding (although post flight inspection indicates it was likely the outer ply only that was bowing).the iai miscellaneous checklist discusses an outer ply windshield crack only and advises to reduce the differential pressure to less than 7psi within 15 minutes. This procedure appears to assume that a single crack occurred due to windshield overheat; which was not the case (windshield heat was not in use); plus our windshield had many cracks and had shattered at least 1 layer across the right side lower 1/3 with possible seal damage.due to the significance of the windshield damage and no obvious reason why; we opted to advise ATC of our immediate need for lower altitude and perform an emergency descent (it was hectic; but it seems like they said 'do whatever you need'... Or something to that affect). As pilot flying; I performed the emergency descent per the manual but due to the damage; was accomplished at reduced airspeed. During this time; the co-pilot worked radios. This problem is caused by a deficiency in the windshield. Overall; the design on these is poor with an average life-span of 7-8 years (windshield in question here was less than 4). During pre-flight inspection; no damage or cracks were noted to the windshield and recently came out of a heavy maintenance inspection with 0.5 hours of flight time since maintenance. I don't really see any way to prevent this from happening again; as it is a random occurrence. Even though the windshield appeared significantly damaged and failing at altitude; it held together surprisingly well and is quite a testament to its durability even in this scenario. During post flight inspection; all glass was still accounted for and seal was still relatively secure. I would place a higher emphasis on recurrent training for windshield failure. They always discuss an emergency descent; but the scenario is always the same 'the airplane experiences rapid decompression'. However; in our scenario the windshield is damaged beyond the scope of the checklist and the solution lies somewhere between rapid decompression and a cracked windshield. I could see someone else taking their time; not knowing what they should do; while basically waiting for a total failure to occur. Overall; I am happy with our decisions and the outcome was perfect. I do have a new co-pilot fresh out of [training]. He is more than satisfactory; but obviously a person more experienced in the right seat of an astra would've eased the workload in a situation like this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Gulfstream IAI-1125 Captain reported the left windshield shattered during climb through FL370 necessitating an emergency descent.

Narrative: During the climb; we had been recently cleared to proceed direct to ZZZ; while climbing through FL370 to FL380; we heard a loud bang and heard what I interpreted as an airflow change in the cabin. I immediately noticed that the Captain's windshield appeared to have shattered in the lower right side third of the window with multiple cracks now following from this area to the left side of the windshield. Additionally; the windshield appeared to be bowing out on the right side with the seal partially protruding (although post flight inspection indicates it was likely the outer ply only that was bowing).The IAI miscellaneous checklist discusses an outer ply windshield crack only and advises to reduce the differential pressure to less than 7psi within 15 minutes. This procedure appears to assume that a single crack occurred due to windshield overheat; which was not the case (windshield heat was not in use); plus our windshield had many cracks and had shattered at least 1 layer across the right side lower 1/3 with possible seal damage.Due to the significance of the windshield damage and no obvious reason why; we opted to advise ATC of our immediate need for lower altitude and perform an emergency descent (it was hectic; but it seems like they said 'do whatever you need'... or something to that affect). As pilot flying; I performed the emergency descent per the manual but due to the damage; was accomplished at reduced airspeed. During this time; the co-pilot worked radios. This problem is caused by a deficiency in the windshield. Overall; the design on these is poor with an average life-span of 7-8 years (windshield in question here was less than 4). During pre-flight inspection; no damage or cracks were noted to the windshield and recently came out of a heavy maintenance inspection with 0.5 hours of flight time since maintenance. I don't really see any way to prevent this from happening again; as it is a random occurrence. Even though the windshield appeared significantly damaged and failing at altitude; it held together surprisingly well and is quite a testament to its durability even in this scenario. During post flight inspection; all glass was still accounted for and seal was still relatively secure. I would place a higher emphasis on recurrent training for windshield failure. They always discuss an emergency descent; but the scenario is always the same 'the airplane experiences rapid decompression'. However; in our scenario the windshield is damaged beyond the scope of the checklist and the solution lies somewhere between rapid decompression and a cracked windshield. I could see someone else taking their time; not knowing what they should do; while basically waiting for a total failure to occur. Overall; I am happy with our decisions and the outcome was perfect. I do have a new co-pilot fresh out of [training]. He is more than satisfactory; but obviously a person more experienced in the right seat of an Astra would've eased the workload in a situation like this.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.