Jet Engine Blade Slices Plane, Sucks Passenger Out Window
Ryanair Flight Emergency: Engine Blade Breaks, Passenger Partially Sucked Out Window
What Happened on That Flight?
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 air pressure tries to pull your neighbor right out of the plane.
That’s exactly what happened on July 10, 2026, on a Ryanair Boeing 737 flying from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany. The plane had been in the air for less than 10 minutes when disaster struck.
The Scary Timeline: Minute by Minute
| Time After Takeoff | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 7½ minutes | Pilots get a warning: "High engine vibrations" |
| ~9½ minutes | Vibrations get much worse • Pilots hear a LOUD BANG • Autopilot turns itself off |
| Shortly after | Window at Row 11 shatters • Passenger partially sucked outside |
| Emergency | Plane turns around • Lands back in Thessaloniki safely |
Who Was Hurt?
IMPORTANT POINT: This wasn’t just a "close call"—someone was seriously injured.
- Ljubisa Karovic, 61 years old, was sitting in seat 11F (window seat)
- The force of the cabin pressure pulled his head and shoulders OUT the broken window
- His wife and a flight attendant grabbed him and pulled him back inside
- He suffered significant injuries (exact details not publicly released)
What Broke? (The Engine Parts Explained Simply)
The Engine
- Model: CFM56-7B26 (made by CFM International)
- Who makes it: A partnership between French company Safran and American company GE Aerospace
- Fun fact: This is one of the most common engines in the world—used on thousands of planes
The Broken Part
- What failed: A fan blade (one of the big spinning blades at the front of the engine)
- Which engine: Engine #2 (the right-side engine)
- What the blade did: Flew off at high speed → sliced through the engine casing → hit the plane’s body like shrapnel
Damage Map: Where the Flying Metal Hit
The broken blade pieces acted like bullets, hitting multiple spots:
- Row 11 window → SHATTERED (where the passenger sat)
- Near Row 8 → DENT in the fuselage (plane’s body)
- Below the wing → PUNCTURE in the plane’s skin
- Tail section → GOUGES and DENTS on the horizontal stabilizer
Why Did the Blade Break? (The "Fatigue" Problem)
SCIENCE SIMPLIFIED: Metal Fatigue
Imagine bending a paperclip back and forth. Eventually—SNAP! It breaks. That’s fatigue cracking.
The NTSB found fatigue cracks on the broken blade—meaning it had been weakening over time from repeated stress (every takeoff, every landing, every flight). The cracks grew until the blade finally snapped off.
Additional clues:
- 8 other blades on the same engine had bent/damaged leading edges
- Bird feathers were found inside the damaged engine
- 4 suspected bird strikes reported in the previous year (but no damage found at those times)
- Unclear if birds caused the crack or just hit an already-cracked blade
The 2018 Connection: Why This Sounds Familiar
This happened before. Almost the exact same thing.
| 2018 Southwest Flight | 2026 Ryanair Flight | |
|---|---|---|
| Airline | Southwest Airlines | Ryanair |
| Plane | Boeing 737 | Boeing 737-8AS |
| Engine | CFM56-7B | CFM56-7B26 |
| Failure | Fan blade snapped | Fan blade snapped |
| Result | Window shattered, woman partially sucked out | Window shattered, man partially sucked out |
| Outcome | Passenger died | Passenger survived (pulled back in) |
Because of the 2018 tragedy, a new inspection rule was created. The Ryanair plane’s fan blades had been inspected less than 3 weeks before this flight—and passed.
The Controversy: What the CEO Said vs. What Investigators Found
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary (July earnings call):
"Some of the more salacious reports that one passenger was halfway out the window, head out the window. Nobody was out any window. Initial indication would suggest that it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff out of Thessaloniki."
NTSB Preliminary Report (released August):
- Passenger was "partially lodged in a damaged cabin window"
- "Other passengers… managed to pull the injured passenger back into the cabin"
- Fatigue cracking found on the broken blade (not foreign object damage)
- Investigation still ongoing
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy’s Response:
She sent a formal letter criticizing O’Leary for commenting during an active investigation.
KEY RULE: Under international aviation rules, parties to an investigation (like the airline CEO) are PROHIBITED from speculating publicly about causes while the investigation is open.
Who’s Investigating? (And Why the NTSB?)
- Lead investigator: NTSB (U.S. National Transportation Safety Board)
- Why NTSB? The engine was made by a U.S. company (GE Aerospace) → U.S. has jurisdiction
- Greece’s role: "Accredited representative" (participates but doesn’t lead)
- Timeline: NTSB investigations typically take 1–2 years for a final report
Summary: What We Know So Far
| Confirmed | Still Unknown |
|---|---|
| Fan blade broke due to fatigue cracking | Exactly why the fatigue happened (manufacturing? maintenance? bird strikes?) |
| Blade fragments hit fuselage & broke window | Whether bird strikes contributed to the crack |
| Passenger partially ejected, pulled back in | If inspection 3 weeks prior should have caught the crack |
| Plane landed safely | Final probable cause (takes 1–2 years) |
| CEO’s public statements violated investigation rules | What safety changes will result |
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Could this happen on my flight?
Short answer: It’s extremely rare. The CFM56 engine has flown billions of hours safely. After the 2018 incident, inspections were made more frequent and thorough. Aviation safety improves because of investigations like this.
Why didn’t the inspection 3 weeks ago catch the crack?
Great question. Fatigue cracks can be tiny (microscopic) and grow fast under stress. The NTSB will investigate whether:
- The crack was too small to detect with current methods
- The inspection missed it (human error)
- The crack grew unusually fast in those 3 weeks
What is "foreign object damage" (FOD)?
FOD means something from outside (bird, debris, tool left on runway) hit the engine. O’Leary claimed this was the cause. The NTSB found fatigue cracking (internal weakening over time)—which is different.
Why does the NTSB lead if it happened in Greece?
International rules (ICAO Annex 13): The country that made the engine (USA—GE Aerospace) leads. Greece participates as an "accredited representative."
Will Ryanair face penalties for the CEO’s comments?
The NTSB’s letter was a formal reprimand. Consequences could include:
- Limited participation in the investigation
- Diplomatic complaints through ICAO
- Credibility damage with safety regulators worldwide
Final Thought
Aviation is incredibly safe because every incident is investigated thoroughly, openly, and without interference.
When leaders speculate publicly during an investigation, it undermines the process designed to keep all of us safer. The NTSB’s job is to find facts, not assign blame—and that takes time, evidence, and silence from those involved.
Stay informed. Fly safe. Trust the process.