Bird Remains Found in Ryanair Plane Engine After Passenger Incident

Bird remains were discovered within the engine of a Ryanair Boeing 737 NG aircraft involved in an incident where a passenger was nearly sucked out of a broken window. The event occurred shortly after takeoff from Greece in July, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation.

The NTSB's preliminary report details that a piece of the engine detached, striking and breaking a window. This led to a loss of cabin pressure and forced the plane to make an emergency landing. The passenger who sustained serious injuries was partially pulled through the fractured window.

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Bird remains were reportedly found in two of the cases

Investigators noted that the flight crew had reported four suspected bird strikes on the plane's No. 2 engine within the 12 months preceding the incident. Bird remains were reportedly found in two of these instances, though no damage was detected during subsequent maintenance checks. The cockpit voice recorder captured a loud bang approximately nine minutes and 20 seconds after the takeoff roll began.

An examination of the engine revealed fractured fan blades, with three loose fragments recovered. The CFM engine, a joint venture between France's Safran and General Electric, had been inspected in May without any issues being found. The NTSB is examining potential similarities to other incidents involving similar engine models, including a 2018 Southwest Airlines engine failure that resulted in a passenger fatality.

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A loud bang sound was recorded about nine minutes and 20 seconds after the start of the takeoff roll