NTSB Report: Engine Failure Caused Ryanair Window to Shatter as Passenger Was Partially Sucked Out

A National Transportation Safety Board probe reveals that a Ryanair flight experienced an engine failure on July 10, when a fan blade broke off and struck the cabin, shattering a window and partially pulling a Serbian passenger outside at 20,000 feet, according to official reports.

The Mechanics of a Mid-Air Decompression

The incident involved a Boeing 737-800 operating a flight from Greece to Germany, managed by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air. According to the National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, the aircraft suffered a No. 2 right engine fan-blade-out failure during its climb. Flight crew members reported a high vibration alert, prompting them to throttle down and run diagnostics. When those vibrations temporarily ceased, the crew continued the climb on autopilot. Moments later, a loud bang echoed through the fuselage.

The engine fragment pierced the cabin envelope, instantly obliterating a window pane. Oxygen masks dropped as cabin pressure vented violently. According to statements gathered by CNN Greece and reported by the New York Post, a 61-year-old Serbian traveler named Ljubisa Karović had his head and right shoulder sucked out through the aperture. Passengers nearby intervened immediately. His wife Svetlana Grković Maksimović and fellow travelers grabbed his legs and pinned him down for several minutes until the aircraft stabilized.

Operational Scrutiny and Maintenance Records

Corporate accountability now takes center stage as investigators examine why an engine component failed so catastrophically. The National Transportation Safety Board noted that the engine had undergone ultrasonic inspections just two months prior in May, returning zero findings of fault. Ryanair Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary previously suggested that foreign object damage may have caused the failure, though federal investigators continue to analyze the physical metallurgy of the fractured fan blade.

The aircraft made an uneventful return landing at Thessaloniki International Airport, where ground crews met the flight. Medical personnel treated the passenger on site for friction burns and severe shock before travelers boarded a replacement aircraft to Memmingen.