A320
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Time Pressure; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; General Maintenance Action; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
At cruise FL320 and Captain's windshield started arcing. Began using QRH procedure for arcing windshield and requested lower as a precaution. Windshield shattered before we could complete QRH procedure. Declared an emergency with ATC and switched to QRH cracked windshield procedure. Since we were relatively close to one of our stations; we had started a descent and determined inner panel of glass was still intact per QRH procedure we continued and landed uneventfully.
An A320 Captain's window began arcing; and then the outer pane shattered as the crew was completing the QRH. An emergency was declared and the flight landed at a nearby airport.