A jet engine fan blade cut into a plane and caused a passenger to be partially sucked out of a window, the NTSB says

Key Points:

• A fan blade on a Boeing 737 Ryanair flight broke free shortly after takeoff, striking the fuselage and breaking a window, which partially sucked a passenger, Ljubisa Karovic, out of the aircraft, causing serious injuries.
• The incident occurred on July 10 when the plane was flying at 16,000 feet over Greek airspace; the flight returned to Thessaloniki for an emergency landing following warnings of high engine vibrations and a loud bang.
• The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found evidence of fatigue cracking on the broken fan blade and deformation on eight other blades, with bird remains also discovered in the damaged engine, though no recent bird strike damage was confirmed.
• The NTSB is leading the investigation with Greek authorities participating, and has criticized Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary for publicly commenting on the ongoing investigation in violation of international rules.
• This incident echoes a similar 2018 Southwest Airlines fan blade failure that resulted in a fatality, prompting recent inspection rules that had been followed less than three weeks before the Ryanair flight.