Broken engine parts smashed a window on a Ryanair flight shortly after taking off from Greece in July, causing a passenger to be partially sucked through the hole until other passengers pulled the individual back into the aircraft, U.S. investigators said Thursday.
Bird remains were found in the engine of the Boeing 737, which was en route to Germany before being forced to make an emergency landing after the cabin lost pressure, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report. Fan blades in the engine were fractured, the report said.
At Greece’s request, the NTSB, which is based in Washington, is leading the investigation.
Flight crews reported four suspected bird strikes to the airplane’s No. 2 engine in the 12 months preceding the incident, the NTSB said. Bird remains were “reportedly” found in two of the cases, the report said, but no damage was discovered during subsequent maintenance.
There were 149 passengers and six crew members on board. The passenger involved in the window incident was the only one injured.
Ryanair declined to comment until the investigation has concluded.
In 2018, a woman died after she was partially sucked out of the window on a Southwest Airlines flight.
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