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2h ago

NTSB Finds Fan Blade Broke Off and Shattered Window on Ryanair 737

The agency’s preliminary report ties blade separation and recovered bird remains to fuselage damage and says regulators may need to speed inspections or change retrofit deadlines.

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Broken engine parts shattered a window on a Ryanair flight shortly after takeoff from Greece last month, leading to a man being partially sucked outside of the plane, U.S. officials announced on Thursday. (NTSB)
A photo annotated by the NTSB shows damage to the side of the plane, including the missing window.
FILE - The Ryanair desk is seen, Aug. 10, 2018, at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Paul White, File)

Overview

  • The NTSB’s preliminary report released Aug. 13 says a fan blade in the right CFM56 engine separated and sent fragments through the fuselage that shattered a cabin window.
  • Investigators recovered bird remains from the engine and found fractures on the failed blade that show surface features consistent with fatigue cracking.
  • Maintenance records show ultrasonic inspections in November 2025 and May 2026 reported no findings while flight crews logged four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the prior year.
  • A 61-year-old passenger was partially lodged in the blown-out window, suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns, and was pulled back into the cabin by other travelers and treated by an onboard doctor before the plane returned to Thessaloniki.
  • The probe remains active with technical input from Boeing, CFM, the FAA and Greek authorities and could prompt targeted inspections or acceleration of FAA airworthiness-directive work that was due by July 2028.