In brief
During a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, the right‑hand engine of a Ryanair Airbus A320 suffered a fan‑blade failure shortly after take‑off. The broken fragment tore through a cabin window, pulling Serbian passenger Ljubisa Karović’s head and right shoulder outward. The crew declared an emergency and diverted back to Thessaloniki, landing safely. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the incident and highlighted the emergency procedures followed, while the airline’s subsidiary Malta Air confirmed the aircraft had been inspected recently. The tragedy raises concerns over engine integrity and aircraft safety protocols.
Broken engine fragments smashed a cabin window on a Ryanair flight, pulling a man's head and right shoulder out of the aircraft, American investigators say.
The incident occurred on 10 July aboard a Ryanair Airbus A320 taking off from Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany. The aircraft’s right‑hand engine suffered a fan‑blade failure shortly after climb‑out, sending debris through a passenger window.
Serbian national Ljubisa Karović’s head and right shoulder were sucked outside the aircraft, leaving him seriously injured and in shock. His wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, and two other passengers clung to his legs for several minutes before the crew could intervene.
The NTSB’s preliminary report shows the crew received a high‑vibration alert, reduced power, and performed checks before continuing the climb. When vibrations increased and a loud bang occurred, the crew declared an emergency and descended to Thessaloniki, landing without further incident.
Flight attendants recorded the vibrations, saw a small amount of smoke, and noted a missing window pane. The engine had been inspected with ultrasonic testing in May, finding no fault.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary suggested foreign object damage may have been the cause. The aircraft operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air was involved in the problem.
