NTSB finds engine blade fatigue fracture shattered Ryanair window, nearly sucking passenger out over Greece

What happened on July 10

On the morning of July 10, a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary, took off from Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany, with 155 people on board. As the aircraft climbed toward 16,000 feet near Polykastro, a few kilometers from the North Macedonia border, engine sensors registered a strong vibration spike during the takeoff run. Minutes later, as power increased, a loud bang preceded the autopilot disengaging and an altitude alarm sounding in the cabin.

Fan blade number 10 of the right engine, a CFM56-7B26 turbofan built by CFM International (a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran), broke at the root due to what the NTSB described as a high-amplitude fatigue fracture, likely caused by partial metal wear. Debris hurled at high velocity tore through the engine's outer cover, penetrated the lower fuselage, and completely destroyed the window at seat 11F.

The passenger at seat 11F

The 61-year-old Serbian passenger Ljubiša Karović, seated at 11F, was partially sucked through the shattered window. His wife, traveling with him, later recounted that half of his body was protruding outside the aircraft and that she grabbed his legs instinctively, thinking "if we die, we die together." Other passengers pulled him back inside the cabin. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.

Flight attendants told investigators they had felt strong continuous vibrations and seen smoke or mist in the cabin before the oxygen masks deployed. One flight attendant noticed passengers standing and calling for help because the man in row 11 was partially trapped in the damaged window. After being pulled back inside, the injured passenger was moved to row 12, where a passenger who was a doctor provided medical assistance. Other passengers used a metal box from the galley, given to them by cabin crew, to try to cover the broken window until the aircraft could land.

NTSB preliminary report

The NTSB released its preliminary report on August 13. The investigation was delegated entirely to the US federal agency by Greek authorities, with Greece participating. The report found that the structural failure of one of the right engine's fan blades triggered the chain of events. Investigators also found bird remains inside the engine, suggesting the aircraft may have struck birds during takeoff, though pilots had not reported any such occurrence.

The examination of wreckage conducted by technicians in France and the United States revealed that the intake cover, engine hinges, and exhaust components of the involved aircraft had not yet incorporated reinforcements and structural improvements from safety updates. The fan blades had been inspected in May. The NTSB is also examining the application of safety directives.

Aftermath and response

The pilots managed to secure the aircraft and perform an emergency descent, returning to Thessaloniki. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. Ryanair stated at the time that the flight had returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window detached during the flight, and that a passenger had received medical assistance on the ground. The airline's CEO stated that the window was broken by a foreign object and that the aircraft itself was not at fault.

Short videos recorded inside the cabin and shared by Radio Thessaloniki showed passengers using oxygen masks after the loss of cabin pressure. Another video showed the destroyed window with a man nearby wearing an oxygen mask. A third, apparently filmed after landing, showed first responders working in the aisle.