An incident involving a Ryanair plane in Greece last month saw broken engine parts leading to a man’s head being partially sucked out of a shattered window before fellow passengers rescued him, according to U.S. investigators on Thursday.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed in a preliminary report that a fan blade in the right engine of the Boeing 737-800 broke loose, causing fragments to damage the fuselage and break the window. The investigation was handed over to the U.S. agency by Greece in line with international aviation regulations.
The occurrence took place on July 10 after the aircraft left Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Investigators discovered bird remains inside the engine, indicating a possible bird strike during takeoff, although the exact cause of the fan blade detaching remains undetermined.
The 61-year-old passenger whose head was pulled out of the window suffered neck and shoulder injuries along with friction burns.
Flight attendants mentioned hearing loud, continuous vibrations and observing smoke or fog in the cabin before the emergency oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling.
One flight attendant recounted seeing passengers standing and calling for help. The man in a Row 11 window seat was stuck in the damaged window, and other passengers managed to pull him back inside, as reported by investigators.
The injured passenger was relocated to Row 12, where a doctor provided medical assistance. Other passengers used a metal box from the flight attendants to cover the opening until the plane landed, the investigation revealed.
Several short videos recorded inside the plane showed passengers wearing oxygen masks due to the cabin pressure loss. One video displayed the blown-out window with a nearby passenger wearing an oxygen mask. Another video, apparently post-landing, depicted first responders at work in the aisle.
Fan blades underwent inspections
According to maintenance records, the fan blades on the malfunctioning right engine underwent ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025, with no signs of damage reported.
However, the NTSB noted that flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes on the same engine in the past year, with bird remains discovered after two incidents.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA investigator who reviewed the report, mentioned that the necessary maintenance seemed to be carried out on schedule. Still, investigators will scrutinize the inspection procedures and assess if previous bird strikes contributed to the fan blade detachment.
“We know what happened and to some extent why it happened, but there are still unanswered questions that the NSTB will delve into,” Guzzetti stated.
Last month, the NTS