A preliminary report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals that broken engine parts shattered a cabin window on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 flight from Greece to Germany causing a passenger to be partially sucked out mid-air.
Engine fragment shatters window
Shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, an engine fan blade broke loose, sending metal debris into the window at seat 11F. The impact shattered the pane and rapidly depressurized the plane.
Passenger Ljubisa Karovic had his head and arm sucked through the opening. Flight attendants recalled “hearing and feeling a loud continuous vibration and seeing a small amount of fog/smoke before the oxygen masks dropped” inside the cabin.
Passengers save flying victim
Heroic passengers grabbed Karovic and pulled him back into the cabin. A doctor on board treated his injuries, while fellow travelers used a metal box from the flight crew to temporarily block the broken window until landing.
Pilots make emergency return
The pilots quickly initiated a rapid descent and safely returned to the airport, where they “made an uneventful landing.”
Official investigators confirmed the aircraft “experienced a No 2 (right) engine fan-blade-out” failure shortly after takeoff.
Search for root cause
Investigators discovered bird remains inside the engine suggesting a strike during takeoff. While maintenance records show the engine passed recent tests, former investigator Jeff Guzzetti noted the “we know what happened and even to some extent why it happened but there’s still unanswered questions that the NTSB will get at” as inquiries continue.
