Passenger pulled through broken window after Ryanair engine failure

A passenger was injured after a fan blade broke loose from a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 shortly after takeoff from Greece, sending engine debris through the fuselage and shattering a cabin window, a preliminary report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said, Associated Press reports.

The incident occurred after the aircraft departed Thessaloniki. The 61-year-old passenger seated near the damaged window was partially pulled through the opening before fellow passengers managed to drag him back inside. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries as well as friction burns.

The NTSB said bird remains were found inside the aircraft’s right engine, suggesting a possible bird strike during takeoff. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the fan blade to fail.

Flight attendants reported loud, continuous vibrations and smoke or fog filling the cabin before oxygen masks deployed. Passengers helped move the injured man to another row, where a doctor treated him. Others used a metal box to temporarily cover the damaged opening until the aircraft landed.

Maintenance records show the engine’s fan blades underwent ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage detected. Crews had also reported four suspected bird strikes involving the same engine over the previous year.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA investigator, said investigators would likely examine whether previous bird strikes contributed to existing damage.

“We know what happened and even to some extent why it happened, but there’s still unanswered questions that the NTSB will get at,” Guzzetti said.

The aircraft had not yet received modifications required under FAA directives issued in 2025 following earlier fan blade failures. The changes are intended to prevent engine debris from striking the fuselage and are currently required by July 2028.

Guzzetti said the latest incident could prompt regulators to reconsider that deadline.

“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,” he said, “that may change things.”

The aircraft landed safely in Thessaloniki about an hour after departure.

By Vafa Guliyeva