Engine fragments caused Ryanair flight to lose pressure

An emergency landing in Thessaloniki, Greece, was triggered when engine fragments from a Ryanair plane breached a window, nearly causing a man to be ejected during mid-flight, according to a preliminary report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The incident occurred on July 16 during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

A tourist on board had his head partially stuck in a cabin window that had been shattered due to the engine failure. He had to be pulled back inside by fellow passengers. The NTSB stated that the right engine of the plane experienced a fan-blade-out failure, causing a blade to break off and become lodged in the fuselage. This resulted in a loss of cabin pressure.

Upon noticing the passenger partially lodged in the damaged cabin window and the entire window missing, a flight attendant intervened. The passenger sustained serious injuries in the incident. While investigators found bird remains inside the engine, they have not yet determined the exact cause of the fan blade breakage.

Witnesses recounted hearing a noise similar to a tire bursting and immediately realizing there had been a decompression. Some passengers screamed, with one woman comparing the moment to thinking someone had accidentally opened the emergency door. Engine fragments also damaged other parts of the fuselage and the right horizontal stabilizer, as reported by the NTSB. The comprehensive NTSB investigation, which can span up to two years, is currently underway, and a final report remains pending.