A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, experienced a broken window after engine parts shattered it, causing a passenger’s head to be sucked out before fellow passengers pulled him back in.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, which occurred on July 10. The preliminary report states that a fan blade in the Boeing 737-800’s right engine broke loose, sending fragments flying out of the engine and breaking the window.
The 61-year-old passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. The flight attendants reported hearing and feeling loud, continuous vibration and saw smoke or fog fill the cabin before the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.
Maintenance records show that the fan blades in the right engine had undergone ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage found. However, flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year, according to the NTSB.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
