Ryanair passenger ‘seriously injured’ after engine part shattered window

A passenger on a Ryanair flight was “seriously injured” when an engine part shattered a window, investigators have said.

Other passengers managed to pull him back into the cabin after he became “partially lodged” in the damaged window.

A doctor on board cared for him until the aircraft, operated by subsidiary Malta Air, landed safely.

The details emerged in a preliminary report into the incident which occurred shortly after take off on a service from Thessalonki in Greece to Memmingham in Germany on July 10.    

The US National Transportation Safety Board revealed the window next to the seat shattered after it was struck by an engine part.

This came after engine vibrations “increased significantly”, a loud bang was heard and the autopilot was disengaged.

“While assessing the engine condition, the cabin altitude warning sounded. The flight crew donned their oxygen masks, declared an emergency, and began an immediate descent,” according to the initial findings.

The right-hand engine “experienced a fan blade separation that resulted in engine fragments striking the fuselage,” the report found.

Ryanair group chief executive Michael O’Leary previously attributed the broken window and depressurisation as due to “a fan blade issue” with an engine.

Bird remains, including feathers, were recovered from the engine, suggesting a bird strike.

The report added: “The investigative team is aware of previous FBO [fan-blade-out] events with similar engine models that resulted in damage to engine inlets or cowlings and fuselage structures.

“Determination of any relevant similarities or details between this accident and previous events remains under investigation.”

There were 149 passengers and six crew on board.

The NTSB was "delegated the investigation in full" by the Greek authorities in the days following the incident.

The investigation is ongoing.