NTSB Report Finds Engine Debris Shattered Ryanair Window, Injuring Passenger in Greece

U.S. investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that a fan blade failure on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 released engine parts that struck and shattered a passenger window shortly after the aircraft departed Thessaloniki on July 10. The debris created a hole in the fuselage, and a 61-year-old man seated in a row-11 window seat had his head partially drawn into the opening before other passengers helped pull him back inside.

The passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. Flight attendants reported hearing a loud, continuous vibration, seeing smoke or fog in the cabin, and the automatic deployment of oxygen masks. Passengers used a metal box supplied by the crew to block the broken window until the aircraft could land.

Video recordings from inside the cabin showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure and the damaged window. The plane descended shortly after reaching 15,000 feet, burned fuel for about 30 minutes, and returned to Thessaloniki, where it landed safely.

The NTSB found bird remains inside the right-hand engine, indicating a possible bird strike at takeoff. Maintenance records show the engine’s fan blades underwent ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025 without detecting damage, although four suspected bird strikes to the same engine had been reported over the past year.

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary was cautioned by the NTSB after he suggested the investigation was limited to foreign-object damage and not aircraft age or maintenance. The board noted that investigators had not ruled out any factors.

The incident mirrors earlier cases involving CFM-manufactured engines, including a 2018 Southwest Airlines accident in which a passenger was killed after a similar window breach.

Greek authorities transferred the investigation to the NTSB, with Greece participating, and the airline confirmed that medical assistance was provided to the injured passenger after the aircraft returned to the terminal.