Broken engine part shattered Ryanair plane window that partially sucked out passenger: investigators
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that → shatter → passenger
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says it found bird remains inside engine
Broken engine parts shattered a window on a Ryanair plane shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, causing a man's head to be sucked through the opening before his fellow passengers pulled him back inside, U.S. investigators said Thursday.
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investigators → say → him
A fan blade in the Boeing 737-800's right engine broke loose, sending fragments flying out of the engine that broke the window and damaged the fuselage in several other places, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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that → break → Board
Greece turned the investigation over to the U.S. agency under international aviation rules.
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Greece → turn → rules
The incident happened on July 10 after the flight departed the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
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flight → happen → Thessaloniki
Investigators found bird remains inside the engine, suggesting the plane may have struck birds during takeoff, though they haven't determined what caused the fan blade to break loose.
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blade → find → takeoff
The 61-year-old passenger whose head was sucked through the window suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.
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head → suck → injuries
The flight attendants told investigators they heard and felt loud, continuous vibration and saw smoke or fog fill the cabin before the plane's emergency oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.
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masks → tell → ceiling
One flight attendant said they then noticed some passengers standing and calling for help.
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passengers → say → help
The man in a Row 11 window seat was partially lodged in the damaged window, and other passengers pulled him back into the cabin, the investigators were told.
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investigators → lodge → cabin
The injured passenger was moved to Row 12, where a doctor tended to him.
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doctor → move → him
Other passengers retrieved a metal box from the flight attendants and used it to try to block the opening until the plane could land, according to the investigation.
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plane → retrieve → investigation
A series of short videos recorded inside the plane and shared by Radio Thessaloniki showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure.
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cabin → record → pressure
Another appeared to show the blown-out window, with a man seated nearby wearing an oxygen mask.
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Another → appear → mask
A third video, apparently filmed after the aircraft landed, showed first responders working in the aisle.
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responders → film → aisle
Fan blades had undergone inspections
Maintenance records show the fan blades on the right engine that failed underwent ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage found.
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damage → undergo → May
But flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the past year, according to the NTSB.
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crews → report → NTSB
Bird remains were found after two of them.
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remains → find → them
Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA investigator who reviewed the preliminary report, told The Associated Press that the required maintenance appears to have been performed on schedule.
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maintenance → review → schedule
Investigators, however, will likely examine how the inspections were conducted and whether the previous suspected bird strikes contributed to pre-existing damage.
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strikes → examine → damage
"We know what happened and even to some extent why it happened, but there's still unanswered questions that the NSTB will get at," Guzzetti said.
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Guzzetti → know → that
The NTSB last month reprimanded Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary after he told investors the investigation was focused on foreign object damage rather than the plane's age or maintenance history.
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investigation → reprimand → age
The agency said investigators hadn't ruled anything out and O'Leary wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation.
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O'Leary → say → investigation
Deadline to strengthen engine coverings
Ryanair said Thursday it would not comment further until the NTSB investigation is complete.
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investigation → strengthen → coverings
Boeing and CFM International, the engine maker, said they are assisting with the investigation.
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they → say → investigation
The FAA issued three directives last year requiring airlines to strengthen parts of the engine coverings on Boeing 737s after two previous fan blade failures sent pieces of the engine coverings flying.
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pieces → issue → coverings
In one accident, in 2018, a Southwest Airlines passenger was killed after debris struck the fuselage and knocked out a window, causing the cabin to rapidly lose pressure.
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cabin → kill → pressure
The directives, which took effect in April 2025, require changes aimed at keeping pieces of the engine covering from breaking away and striking the plane if a fan blade breaks loose.
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blade → take → plane
Among other things, airlines must replace certain fasteners and spacers and revise their maintenance and inspection programs.
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airlines → replace → programs
The FAA gave airlines until July 2028 to complete the major modifications, and the NTSB report says the required changes had not yet been made to the Ryanair plane.
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changes → give → plane
Guzzetti said the latest accident could prompt the FAA and NTSB to examine whether that deadline should be moved up.
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deadline → say → FAA
"It takes time to do the maintenance, to get the parts, and the risk at the time was assessed such that the industry could probably wait that long.
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industry → take → time
Now, with this event, that may change things," Guzzetti said.
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Guzzetti → change → things
The FAA declined to comment on the open investigation, saying it closely supports the NTSB and will "take any necessary safety actions based on the evidence."
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it → decline → evidence
The 737-800 involved in last month's incident can seat up to 189 passengers and was delivered new to Ryanair in 2008, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
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737 → involve → Flightradar24
Flight records show the aircraft climbed past 4,570 metres about six minutes after departure and then immediately descended to about 1,830 metres "to burn fuel for 30 minutes" before returning to Thessaloniki about an hour after takeoff, Flightradar24 said.
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Flightradar24 → show → takeoff
The flight was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget carrier.
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flight → operate → Ryanair
The plane landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.
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passengers → land → terminal
One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground, the airline said in a statement at the time.
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airline → request → time
