Fan Blade Slices Plane Open, Passenger Sucked Out Window: NTSB
Jet Engine Blade Breaks Mid-Flight: What Happened on the Ryanair Flight to Germany
A Scary Situation in the Sky
Imagine you’re sitting on a plane, looking out the window, when suddenly—BANG! A piece of the engine flies off, smashes the window next to you, and the rush of air tries to pull a passenger outside. That’s exactly what happened on a Ryanair flight on July 10, 2026.
The plane had just taken off from Thessaloniki, Greece, heading to Memmingen, Germany. Less than 10 minutes later, the pilots had to turn around and make an emergency landing.
IMPORTANT POINT
Everyone survived. The passenger who was partially pulled out was dragged back inside by his wife and a flight attendant. He was badly hurt, but alive.
What Went Wrong? (Step by Step)
Here’s how the incident unfolded, based on the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—the U.S. agency that investigates major transportation accidents.
- Takeoff – The Boeing 737-8AS (18 years old) lifts off from Thessaloniki.
- 7.5 minutes later – Pilots get a warning: high engine vibrations on Engine #2 (the right engine).
- 2 minutes after that – Vibrations get much worse. Pilots hear a loud BANG. The autopilot turns off automatically.
- Engine fan blade snaps off – One of the spinning blades inside the engine breaks free.
- Blade becomes a missile – It flies out of the engine at incredible speed, slicing through the engine casing and slamming into the side of the plane.
- Window shattered – The blade hits row 11, seat F, smashing the window.
- Passenger partially sucked out – 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic, sitting in 11F, has his head and shoulders pulled out the window.
- Heroic rescue – His wife and a flight attendant grab him and pull him back inside.
- Emergency landing – Pilots fly the damaged plane back to Thessaloniki and land safely.
The Engine: A Very Common Model
The engine was a CFM56-7B26, made by CFM International—a joint venture between:
- Safran Aircraft Engines (France)
- GE Aerospace (USA)
This engine is one of the most used in the world. You’ll find it on thousands of Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s.
Why Did the Blade Break? (The Science Made Simple)
The NTSB found fatigue cracking on the broken blade.
WHAT IS FATIGUE CRACKING?
Imagine bending a paperclip back and forth. Eventually, it snaps—not because you pulled hard once, but because of repeated stress over time.
Metal airplane parts do the same thing. They flex slightly on every flight. Over thousands of flights, tiny cracks can form and grow—until snap.
Other Clues Found:
- 8 other blades on the same engine were bent/deformed on their leading edges.
- Bird remains (feathers) were found inside the damaged engine.
- 4 suspected bird strikes were reported in the year before—but inspections found no damage at those times.
- It’s not clear if a bird strike caused the crack, or if the crack was already there.
This Has Happened Before
In 2018, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 had a nearly identical incident:
- Fan blade snapped
- Window shattered
- Passenger Jennifer Riordan was partially pulled out
- She died from blunt force trauma
Because of that tragedy, new rules were made:
- Fan blades must be inspected more often using ultrasound (like a pregnancy scan, but for metal).
- This Ryanair plane’s blades were inspected less than 3 weeks before the flight.
- The crack wasn’t caught—or it grew very fast.
Who’s Investigating?
| Group | Role |
|---|---|
| NTSB (USA) | Leading the investigation (asked by Greece) |
| Hellenic Air & Rail Safety Investigation Authority (Greece) | "Accredited representative" – helps and observes |
| Ryanair | Airline involved – but not allowed to speculate publicly |
CEO GOT IN TROUBLE FOR TALKING
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said on an earnings call:"Nobody was out any window… looks like foreign object damage on takeoff."
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy sent a formal letter saying this violates international rules.
- Investigators and airline reps must stay silent during an open investigation.
- Speculating can bias the investigation and mislead the public.
Damage to the Plane (Beyond the Window)
The flying blade fragments didn’t just hit the window. They also:
- Dented the fuselage near row 8
- Punctured the belly below the wing
- Gouged and dented the tail (horizontal stabilizer)
The plane was badly beaten up—but still flyable enough to land.
Summary
- A fan blade snapped inside the right engine of a Ryanair 737 shortly after takeoff.
- The blade flew out like a bullet, smashing a window and partially sucking a passenger out.
- The passenger was pulled back in by his wife and a flight attendant.
- The plane landed safely back in Thessaloniki.
- Fatigue cracking (metal tiredness) was found on the broken blade.
- The engine model is very common; a similar 2018 crash killed a woman.
- New inspection rules were followed—but the crack wasn’t caught in time.
- Ryanair’s CEO broke the rules by guessing the cause publicly.
- The NTSB investigation will take 1–2 years to finish.
FAQ
Could the passenger have been pulled all the way out?
No. Airplane windows are small (about 9×12 inches). An adult’s shoulders are too wide. The passenger was stuck—head and shoulders out, hips still in the seat. The pressure difference pushes out, but the window frame blocks a full exit.
Why didn’t the plane crash?
Modern planes are designed to fly on one engine. The pilots were trained for this. They stayed calm, declared an emergency, and flew the plane back manually after the autopilot disconnected.
Is it safe to fly on a 737 with CFM56 engines?
Yes. This engine powers thousands of planes every day. Incidents like this are extremely rare. The 2018 and 2026 events are the only two known cases of a fan blade breaking the window on this engine type in decades.
What is "foreign object damage" (FOD)?
It means something from outside (like a bird, runway debris, or ice) got sucked into the engine and broke things. O’Leary guessed this was the cause—but the NTSB hasn’t concluded that yet.
How do they inspect fan blades?
Using ultrasound—sound waves too high for humans to hear. The waves go through the metal and bounce back. A computer reads the echoes to find tiny cracks inside the blade that eyes can’t see.
This article is based on the NTSB preliminary report released August 13, 2026. Final conclusions may change after the full investigation (1–2 years).