Engine Failure Caused Ryanair Window Blowout, Passenger Partially Sucked Out

A Ryanair flight en route from Greece to Germany suffered a catastrophic window blowout caused by a failed engine fan blade, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The incident occurred on July 10 during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen. Shortly after takeoff, a failure occurred in the fan blade of the No. 2 engine. The crew received an engine warning indicating "strong vibrations" during ascent. They reduced engine power and conducted checks. Although the vibrations initially subsided, allowing the crew to continue the climb using autopilot, they later intensified.

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partially stuck in a damaged cabin window

The situation escalated when the crew heard a loud explosion, prompting them to declare an emergency and initiate a return to Thessaloniki. Flight attendants reported hearing and feeling vibrations, and observed smoke before oxygen masks deployed. One flight attendant described seeing passengers calling for help as one individual was "partially stuck in a damaged cabin window" after the entire window had fallen out.

A Serbian passenger, Ljubiša Karović, sustained "severe injuries and shock" after his head and right shoulder were sucked out of the aircraft. His wife, Svetlana Grkovič Maksimovič, recounted how she and two other passengers held him by the legs for several minutes to prevent him from being fully ejected. The engine in question had undergone an ultrasound inspection in May, with no faults detected at that time. Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, had previously suggested the incident might have been caused by "foreign object damage" to the engine.

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severe injuries and shock