Engine parts shattered Ryanair window that passenger was partly sucked out of, report says

On July 10, a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany experienced a terrifying incident when an engine fan blade broke off, shattering a window and partially sucking a passenger out mid-flight, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. Serbian entrepreneur Ljubisa Karović, sitting by the window in seat 11F, had his head and right arm sucked out of the broken window by the shattered engine part, though other passengers managed to grab hold of him and prevent a more tragic outcome.

The 61-year-old passenger later recounted fainting several times, including after being pulled back into the cabin, and expressed gratitude for his survival. The incident occurred during the plane's climb out from Thessaloniki International Airport in Greece, with the flight being operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air. The NTSB stated that the plane's right engine experienced a "fan-blade-out (FBO) failure" during the climb, leading the two pilots to make an emergency return to Thessaloniki.

The crew reported a high vibration engine alert, reduced engine power, and a series of checks, but the vibrations increased, prompting an emergency descent. The report also revealed that there had been four bird strikes to the plane's right engine in the 12 months preceding the incident, and that the fan blades had undergone recent ultrasonic inspections without finding any defects.

Despite the required maintenance being performed on schedule, investigators are expected to examine the previous inspections and the impact of previous bird strikes on the plane's existing damage. The FAA had issued three directives in 2025 requiring airlines to strengthen engine coverings on Boeing 737 planes following previous fan blade failures, with the required modifications still not implemented on the Ryanair plane by July 2028.