Engine Blade Failure Sucked Passenger Through Ryanair Window on July 10

A broken fan blade from a Boeing 737 engine tore through a Ryanair cabin window on July 10, partially sucking a 61-year-old passenger outside the aircraft during climb-out from Thessaloniki, Greece. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on August 13, confirming that engine fragments breached the fuselage at row 11, causing rapid cabin depressurization. Fellow passengers pulled the injured man back inside. The flight returned safely to Thessaloniki with 149 passengers and six crew members aboard.

What happened during the flight

Ryanair Flight 1879 took off from Thessaloniki bound for Memmingen, Germany on July 10. Seven and a half minutes after takeoff, pilots received a warning for high engine vibrations on the No. 2 (right) engine, a CFM International CFM56-7B26 model. Nearly two minutes later, vibrations increased significantly and pilots heard a loud bang as the autopilot disengaged. Engine fragments breached the fuselage and the cabin depressurized. The crew immediately returned to Thessaloniki International Airport and made an uneventful landing.

The window breach and passenger injuries

Engine shrapnel shattered the window at row 11, where 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic was seated. His head and shoulders were sucked out of the opening due to cabin pressure loss. His wife, Svetlana Grković, told Serbian media she grabbed his legs immediately. Other passengers also held onto him while flight attendants retrieved a metal box to block the broken window. Karovic suffered neck and shoulder injuries plus friction burns. A passenger who was a doctor provided medical care until landing.

Why the engine failed

The NTSB found evidence of fatigue cracking on the fan blade that broke off, indicating gradual metal fracturing from repeated stress greater than expected for the aircraft’s flight history. Eight other blades showed deformation on their leading edges. Bird remains including feathers were recovered inside the engine, suggesting a bird strike may have triggered the failure. Flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine in the 12 months before the incident. The fan blades had undergone ultrasonic inspections in May with no findings.

Regulatory gaps and aircraft status

The NTSB noted that engine updates required for US airlines by 2028 had not been completed on this aircraft. Ryanair is an Irish airline and not subject to Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The CFM56-7B engine is built by a joint venture between French Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace and is one of the most widely used engines in commercial aviation. The preliminary investigation was delegated in full to the NTSB by Greek authorities the week after the incident.

Final Thoughts

The incident highlights risks from engine fatigue and bird strikes on widely-used commercial engines. As Ryanair is not subject to FAA oversight, the airline’s maintenance protocols and regulatory compliance remain under scrutiny following this serious breach.

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