On 10 July, a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen hit turbulence that triggered a fan‑blade failure in the aircrafts right engine. The broken fragment punched a cabin window about 1200 feet above the ground, forcing the seat occupant’s head and right shoulder out of the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a preliminary investigation and confirmed that the loss of engine power, high vibration highs and a sudden loud boom caused an emergency descent and return to the launch airport. The NTSB report noted that the crew originally reduced thrust, performed engine checks, and fell back on autopilot until the vibrations escalated and a bang sounded. As a result, the oxygen masks were deployed and the emergency exit was opened.
Passenger Karl Ljubisa Karović’s wife Svetlana Grković reported that she and two other passengers braced his severed limb to keep him from falling. 1/3 of the window was missing in the field of view. Flight attendants also heard the smoke air and felt vibration on the cabin walls before the turn back. The aircraft had been inspected with ultrasonic testing in May without issues, but the incident shows the dangers of foreign object damage.
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O‘Leary suggested the cause could be foreign objects, while Malta Air, the DoT subsidiary, has stated it is cooperating on the investigation. The NTSB is fully responsible for the inquiry, a task bestowed by the Greek authorities following the incident. For more details see the NTSB timeline report and passenger testimonies.
