A CRJ200 captain's windshield developed hairline cracks over the entire window so the flight diverte...

Attributes
ACN	993997
Time
Date	201202
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.ARTCC
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Cockpit Window
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

While in cruise flight at FL300 we noticed the top left side of the left windshield was glowing in an orange color and sparking. It began to show hairline cracks or lines. Within a few minutes of that; the entire windshield shattered into a spider web like series of cracks making the entire windshield unusable for seeing through. The aircraft maintained pressurization while we completed the QRH procedure. We diverted and landed into a nearby airport which was 40 NM away uneventfully.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CRJ200 Captain's windshield developed hairline cracks over the entire window so the flight diverted to a nearby airport for a precautionary landing.

Narrative: While in cruise flight at FL300 we noticed the top left side of the left windshield was glowing in an orange color and sparking. It began to show hairline cracks or lines. Within a few minutes of that; the entire windshield shattered into a spider web like series of cracks making the entire windshield unusable for seeing through. The aircraft maintained pressurization while we completed the QRH procedure. We diverted and landed into a nearby airport which was 40 NM away uneventfully.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.

A CRJ200 captain's windshield developed hairline cracks over the entire window so the flight diverted to a nearby airport for a precautionary landing.