On July 10, a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, became the scene of a dramatic mid-air emergency. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Malta Air—a subsidiary of Ryanair—experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The incident, which involved a shattered window and a passenger nearly sucked out, has sparked investigations and raised questions about aviation safety.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been leading the investigation into the incident. According to their preliminary report, a fan blade in the right engine broke loose, sending fragments through the fuselage. This caused a window to shatter, leading to a rapid decompression of the cabin. The flight, which was headed to Germany, had to make an emergency return to Thessaloniki airport.
The Incident: A Dramatic Mid-Air Emergency
The incident occurred just minutes after the flight took off from Thessaloniki. Passengers and crew reported hearing and feeling a loud continuous vibration, followed by the sight of smoke or fog inside the cabin. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as the cabin lost pressure. One of the flight attendants noticed passengers standing up and calling for help, as a 61-year-old man sitting in a row 11 window seat was partially lodged in the damaged window.
Quick-thinking passengers managed to pull the injured man back into the cabin. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. A passenger who was a doctor tended to him, while others used a metal box provided by the flight attendants to block the broken window until the plane could land. The aircraft, which can seat up to 189 passengers, was delivered new to Ryanair in 2008.
Investigations and Findings
The NTSB found bird remains inside the engine, suggesting the plane may have struck birds during takeoff. However, the exact cause of the fan blade breaking loose is still under investigation. Maintenance records show that the fan blades had undergone ultrasonic inspections in and without finding damage. But the NTSB noted that four suspected bird strikes to the same engine had been reported by the flight crews over the past year, with bird remains found after two of those suspected strikes.
The NTSB also reprimanded Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary for making premature statements about the investigation. O’Leary had told investors that the investigation was focused on foreign object damage and not the plane’s age or maintenance history. The NTSB clarified that investigators hadn’t ruled anything out and that O’Leary wasn’t authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Previous Incidents and Safety Concerns
This incident is not the first of its kind. There have been at least two previous incidents involving CFM International engines failing and breaching the plane’s cabin. In, a woman was killed on a Southwest Airlines flight after being partially sucked out of a broken window. Another Southwest jet had suffered a similar blade-related engine breakup in over Florida.
The Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority handed over the investigation to the NTSB, with Greece participating. The NTSB’s preliminary report provides a detailed account of the incident, but many questions remain unanswered. Investigators will likely examine how the inspections were carried out and whether the previous bird strikes could have contributed to preexisting damage in the engine.
The flight records show that the aircraft climbed past 15,000 feet about six minutes after departure and then immediately descended to about 6,000 feet to burn fuel for 30 minutes before returning to Thessaloniki about an hour after taking off. The plane landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.
