Engine failure blasts Ryanair window, injures passenger
An engine failure on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Munich caused debris to smash through a cabin window last month, leaving a passenger partially pulled out of the aircraft, according to an investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board.
The Malta Air aircraft, operating under the Ryanair brand, suffered a fan blade failure in its right engine while climbing after takeoff from Thessaloniki International Airport in Greece, the NTSB said in a report released Thursday.
Engine debris struck fuselage
Investigators found that the separated fan blade sent fragments into the aircraft's fuselage and right horizontal stabilizer.
The impact penetrated the pressurized cabin through a passenger window at row 11 and also damaged the lower fuselage behind the right wing-to-body fairing.
The passenger seated in 11F was partially lodged in the damaged window after the entire window was torn away. Other passengers pulled the injured person back into the cabin.
Bird remains found in engine
Investigators discovered bird remains, including feathers, in several parts of the failed engine, indicating that a bird strike was involved in the incident.
The passenger was injured, while the aircraft was able to return safely to Thessaloniki following the incident.
