NTSB finds bird remains in Ryanair engine after passenger nearly sucked from window over Greece

The incident

On July 10, a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 took off from Thessaloniki in northern Greece, bound for Germany. Shortly after departure, a fan blade in the plane's No. 2 right engine detached, ejecting debris toward the fuselage. The fragments pierced the jet's body in several places and dislodged a cabin window, triggering partial depressurization. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the aircraft lost altitude, and the flight returned to Thessaloniki for an emergency landing.

A 61-year-old male passenger was partially sucked through the broken window, suffering neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns before fellow passengers pulled him back inside the cabin. Cabin crew told investigators they experienced strong vibrations and the presence of smoke or a hazy atmosphere before the oxygen masks activated. Passengers described hearing a loud bang, and panic spread through the aircraft as some screamed after the man was partially sucked out.

One passenger told Radio Thessaloniki that most people had fallen asleep before the incident.

“We heard a sound, I'd describe it like a tyre bursting... but very loud. We knew straight away we lost pressure because we lost altitude.”

Short videos recorded inside the cabin and shared by Radio Thessaloniki showed passengers wearing oxygen masks, the blown-out window with a man seated nearby, and first responders working in the aisle after landing.

NTSB findings

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on August 13, confirming that bird remains, including feathers, were found inside the damaged engine. The CFM engine, manufactured by a joint venture between France's Safran and U.S.-based General Electric, had been inspected in May with no findings. The NTSB also noted that flight crew had reported four suspected bird strikes to the No. 2 engine in the 12 months preceding the accident. Bird remains were reportedly found in two of those cases, though no damage was located during subsequent maintenance.

The NTSB, an independent U.S. government agency, is leading the investigation after Greece's Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority handed over the case under international aviation rules, with Greece participating. The agency said it is examining whether the incident resembles other events with similar engine models, including an April 2018 engine failure on a Southwest Airlines flight that killed a passenger who was partially sucked out of a window.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters that early indications do not suggest the Ryanair incident mirrors the Southwest case.

Executive pushback

The NTSB reprimanded Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary after he told investors last month that the investigation was focused on foreign object damage and not the plane's age or maintenance history. The agency said investigators had not ruled anything out and that O'Leary was not authorised to discuss the matter.

Boeing and Ryanair declined to comment on the August 13 report. GE and Safran were not immediately available for comment. The narrow-body aircraft, which can seat up to 189 passengers, was delivered new to Ryanair.