Ryanair Engine Debris Shattered Window and Partially Pulled Passenger Out

Metal Fatigue Discovered on Fractured Fan Blade

Investigators examining the wreckage of a Malta Air-operated Boeing 737-800 traced the damage to an area near the root of the blade, uncovering signs of high-amplitude fatigue caused by repeated stress. According to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), approximately 37 percent of the fracture surface on the failed blade displayed features consistent with fatigue cracking.

The flight departed Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany, on July 10. Less than 10 minutes into the journey, while climbing through 16,000 feet, the flight crew received a high-vibration alert from the right engine. The vibration escalated rapidly before pilots heard a loud bang, the autopilot disengaged, and the cabin depressurized.

The 18-year-old aircraft, a Boeing 737-8AS, suffered structural damage beyond the engine itself. Shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent near row 8, puncturing the fuselage below the wing, and gouging the tail section.

Passenger Pulled Into Window Opening as Cabin Depressurized

Inside the cabin, the loss of pressure deployed emergency oxygen masks as smoke or fog filled the space. A flight attendant responding to calls for help discovered 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic sitting in seat 11F partially lodged in the missing window opening.

Other passengers managed to pull Karovic back into the cabin. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries along with friction burns. A doctor on board tended to him as the flight turned around for an emergency landing back in Thessaloniki. Passengers also retrieved a metal box from the galley and used it to try to block the gaping window opening until the plane touched down.

While initial speculation from airline leadership centered on foreign objects, the NTSB’s findings on the fracture surface run contrary to claims made by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary during a July earnings call.

“Some of the more salacious reports that one passenger was halfway out the window, head out the window. Nobody was out any window. Initial indication would suggest that it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff out of Thessaloniki.”

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy subsequently rebuked O’Leary in a letter, noting that public statements providing an opinion and analysis of an open accident investigation violate international rules.

Inspection History and Prior Bird Strike Reports

Maintenance records reviewed by investigators show that the engine’s fan blades underwent ultrasonic inspections in November 2025 and May 2026, with no damage detected during either check. However, flight records indicate that flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes involving the same engine over the preceding year, with bird remains recovered after two of those events.

Investigators recovered feathers and other bird remains inside the damaged engine during the current probe, but the NTSB has not yet determined whether a bird strike contributed to the blade fracture. Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigator who reviewed the preliminary findings, noted that while the required maintenance appeared to be performed on schedule, investigators will likely scrutinize how those inspections were conducted and whether past bird strikes left underlying damage.

Regulatory Directives and Deadlines for Engine Modifications

The engine involved is a CFM International model CFM56-7B26, built by a joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace. Following prior fan blade separation incidents—including a 2018 Southwest Airlines accident where a passenger died after engine debris struck a window—the FAA issued three directives requiring airlines to strengthen engine coverings on Boeing 737 aircraft.

Those directives, which took effect in April 2025, mandate that carriers replace specific fasteners and spacers and revise their maintenance and inspection programs to prevent engine shrapnel from piercing the cabin if a blade breaks. The FAA set a compliance deadline of July 2028 for major modifications, and the Ryanair plane had not yet completed those required changes.

Guzzetti noted that the latest incident could prompt regulators to reconsider that timeline. 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. Now, with this event, that may change things, he said.

Greece turned the investigation over to the U.S. agency under international aviation rules, with the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority participating as an accredited representative. The full NTSB investigation typically takes one to two years to complete before a final report determines the probable cause.