An incident involving a Ryanair plane in Greece last month revealed that a broken engine part caused a man’s head to be sucked through a shattered window shortly after takeoff. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that a fan blade from the Boeing 737-800’s right engine broke loose, leading to the window breaking and damaging the fuselage in multiple spots. The investigation was handed over to the NTSB by Greece under international aviation regulations.
The occurrence took place on July 10 after the aircraft left Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Evidence of bird remains inside the engine suggested a potential bird strike during takeoff, though the exact reason for the fan blade detachment remains undetermined.
The 61-year-old passenger who had his head sucked out of the window sustained neck and shoulder injuries along with friction burns.
Flight attendants reported hearing loud, continuous vibrations and observing smoke or fog filling the cabin before the deployment of emergency oxygen masks from the ceiling.
One flight attendant mentioned seeing passengers standing and seeking assistance. The man in a Row 11 window seat was found partially stuck in the damaged window, and fellow passengers managed to pull him back into the cabin, as relayed to investigators.
The injured passenger was moved to Row 12 for medical attention by a doctor. Other passengers utilized a metal box from the flight attendants to block the opening temporarily until the plane could land, as per the investigation details.
Several brief videos captured inside the plane and shared by Radio Thessaloniki depicted passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin experienced a loss of pressure. Another video showed the blown-out window with an oxygen-masked man seated nearby, while a third video displayed first responders attending to passengers in the aisle after landing.
Fan blades had undergone inspections
Maintenance records revealed that the fan blades on the faulty right engine had received ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025, detecting no damage. However, the NTSB noted that four suspected bird strikes had been reported by flight crews to the same engine within the past year, with bird remains found after two incidents.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA investigator, reviewed the initial report and mentioned that the necessary maintenance seemed to have been carried out on schedule. Nonetheless, investigators will scrutinize the inspection procedures and assess if the prior suspected bird strikes contributed to pre-existing damage.
“We know what happened and even to some extent why it happened, but there’s still unanswered questions that the NSTB will get at,” Guzzetti remarked.