Engine parts smashed Ryanair window that man's head was sucked out of, report says
A preliminary report from the NTSB reveals that a broken engine fragment shattered a Ryanair cabin window, causing a male passenger's head and right shoulder to be sucked out during a July flight.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- NTSB published a preliminary report regarding a terrifying engine failure on a July 10 flight from Greece to Germany.
- An engine fan blade broke during climb-out, sending fragments that smashed the cabin window.
- A male passenger's head and right shoulder were sucked out of the hole, while his wife and passengers held his legs.
- The aircraft safely returned to Thessaloniki International Airport with no fatal injuries reported.
A harrowing mid-air incident has come to light after the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report detailing a July 10 flight where a broken engine fan blade shattered a Ryanair cabin window, causing a passenger's head and right shoulder to be forcefully sucked out of the opening.
According to the report, the flight was traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, when it experienced a failure in the No. 2 right engine during its climb. The flight crew elected to turn back and successfully landed the aircraft at Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG) without further escalation during the landing process.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The cockpit timeline indicates that the flight crew first received a high-vibration alert from the engine while ascending. In response, they reduced engine power and performed a series of checks. Once the vibrations ceased, the crew continued their climb using the autopilot system, according to the report.
Fan-Blade-Out (FBO) events represent critical emergency scenarios that are heavily simulated and planned for during commercial aircraft certification. Although detached engine components carry massive kinetic energy, modern aerospace engineering relies on rigorous structural margins to ensure that cabin integrity and flight controls remain operational. The safe return of the aircraft highlights both standardized pilot crew resource management and the robust redundancy built into modern commercial airliners.
However, subsequent vibration spikes and a loud bang prompted the crew to declare an emergency and initiate an immediate descent. Flight attendants reported hearing and feeling vibrations alongside a small amount of smoke before oxygen masks were deployed.
One flight attendant noted hearing calls for help after realizing a passenger had become partially lodged in the damaged cabin window, with the entire glass pane missing entirely from its frame.
"She and two other passengers held onto his legs for several minutes."
Svetlana Grković Maksimović
The passenger's wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, later told BBC Serbia that she and two fellow passengers managed to hold onto her husband's legs for several minutes amidst the chaotic situation.
The NTSB report further disclosed that the engine had undergone ultrasonic inspections in May of this year, which revealed no findings of any faults prior to the incident. Records also show the aircraft was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air.
Source: BBC Business
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