The Ryanair Boeing 737-800 whose engine failed over Greece and sent debris through a passenger window had been involved in four other suspected bird strikes in the previous year, and bird remains were again found inside the wrecked engine, according to a preliminary report from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Investigators said a fan blade in the aircraft’s right engine fractured shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki on July 10, 2026, throwing engine debris into the fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. One fragment struck and broke a passenger window in Row 11, causing a rapid loss of cabin pressure. The 61-year-old passenger seated next to the window was partially pulled into the opening before other passengers dragged him back inside; he suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.
The jet, registered 9H-QEU and operated by Malta Air on behalf of Ryanair, had departed Thessaloniki International Airport for Memmingen, Germany. It was climbing through about 16,000 feet when the engine began vibrating and a loud bang was heard. Flight attendants reported a continuous vibration and a small amount of smoke or fog in the cabin before the oxygen masks deployed.
According to the NTSB, bird remains were found inside components of the No. 2 engine. That same engine had been linked to four other suspected bird strikes over the previous twelve months, with bird remains recovered after two of those earlier events. Maintenance inspections following the four suspected strikes did not identify damage, and the fan blades had also undergone ultrasonic inspections in November 2025 and May 2026, with no damage reported. Investigators recovered three loose fan blade fragments from the engine.
The accident has drawn comparisons with two earlier Boeing 737 Next Generation fan blade failures, including the 2018 Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 accident, in which engine debris broke a passenger window and a woman was killed.
Following that history, the FAA issued three airworthiness directives in 2025 requiring modifications intended to reduce the risk of engine inlet and cowling debris striking the aircraft after a fan blade failure. The changes include revised fasteners, spacers and maintenance procedures. The Ryanair aircraft had not yet received the major modifications required by those directives, though operators have until July 2028 to complete them. The NTSB has not said that the absence of those modifications contributed to the July accident.
The investigation has not been without friction. According to PYOK, the NTSB — nominated by Greek investigators to take full responsibility for the probe — accused Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary of violating international investigation rules. The aircraft, an 18-year-old 737-800 painted in Ryanair’s blue and yellow livery, returned safely to Thessaloniki after the crew worked through an ‘Engine High Vibration’ alert and the subsequent depressurisation.
With the preliminary findings now public, attention turns to what the final report will conclude about the fractured blade, the repeated bird encounters and the timeline for the safety modifications that remain years from becoming mandatory.
Sources: AeroTime, PYOK. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By James Holloway.
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