US Airways A333 near Charlotte on May 3rd 2014, windshield heating issues

A US Airways Airbus A330-300, registration N272AY performing flight US-720 from Charlotte,NC (USA) to Rome Fiumicino (Italy), had just reached FL310 on departure from Charlotte when the crew decided to descend the aircraft to FL280 and return to Charlotte. The aircraft landed safely in Charlotte about 70 minutes after departure.

A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration N277AY reached Rome with a delay of 3:45 hours.

A passenger reported the captain announced the wind shield heater had broken and the windshield might crack, hence they were returning to Charlotte.