Revealed: What caused man to be partially sucked out of Ryanair plane

A shattered window through which a passenger was partially sucked out during a Ryanair flight last month was caused by broken engine parts, US investigators have said. 

According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a fan blade in the plane's right engine broke off, sending fragments flying out of the engine - smashing the window and damaging the fuselage in several other places.

Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was partially sucked through the opening and had to be pulled back into the cabin by fellow passengers, where a doctor on board tended to him.

Mr Karovic suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns in the incident, which occurred shortly after take-off from the city of Thessaloniki in Greece on 10 July. The plane returned to Thessaloniki about an hour after departing.

Investigators found bird remains inside the engine of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, suggesting the plane may have struck birds during take-off, but what caused the fan blade to break loose has not yet been determined.

One video recorded inside the plane following the incident showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure, while another appeared to show the broken window, with a man seated nearby wearing an oxygen mask.

Recounting the ordeal, Mr Karovic's wife, Svetlana Grkovic, who helped return her husband to safety, said: "I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible."

One passenger told Radio Thessaloniki there were "screams, shrieks, shouting" when Mr Karovic's "whole head, neck, [and] shoulders" were pulled out of the window.

They added: "Most people had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. We heard a sound, I'd describe it like a tyre bursting ... but very loud.

"We knew straight away we lost pressure because we lost altitude."

'Still unanswered questions'

Maintenance records show the fan blades had last been inspected in May, with no damage found.

However, flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year, according to the NTSB, which took over the investigation under international aviation rules.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigator who reviewed the preliminary report, told the Associated Press that the required maintenance appears to have been performed on schedule.

Investigators, however, are expected to examine how the inspections were conducted and whether the previous 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 NTSB will get at," Mr Guzzetti said.

Following the incident, the NTSB reprimanded Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary after he told investors the investigation was focused on foreign object damage rather than the plane's age or maintenance history.

The US agency said investigators had not ruled anything out and that Mr O'Leary was not authorised to discuss the investigation.

On Thursday, Ryanair said it would not comment further until the completion of the NTSB investigation, which Boeing and CFM International, the engine maker, are assisting with.

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Required modifications

Last year, the FAA issued three directives requiring airlines to strengthen parts of the engine coverings on Boeing 737s after two previous fan blade failures sent pieces of the engine coverings flying.

In one accident in 2018, a Southwest Airlines passenger was killed after debris struck the fuselage and knocked out a window, causing the cabin to rapidly lose pressure.

The directives, which took effect in April, require changes aimed at keeping pieces of the engine covering from breaking away and striking the plane if a fan blade breaks off.

The NTSB report states the required modifications - which the FAA gave airlines until July 2028 to complete - had not yet been made to the Ryanair plane.

The FAA declined to comment on whether its deadline could be brought forward following the incident, but said it closely supports the NTSB and will "take any necessary safety actions based on the evidence".

(c) Sky News 2026: Revealed: What caused man to be partially sucked out of Ryanair plane