NTSB Finds Bird Remains in Ryanair Engine After Passenger Sucked Out Window

Bird remains were discovered inside the engine of a Ryanair Boeing 737 NG aircraft on July 10, when an engine part smashed through a cabin window and partially sucked a passenger outside, according to a preliminary report released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board on August 13.

The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Greece on a flight headed to Germany, forcing the aircraft to lose cabin pressure and execute an emergency landing. According to the NTSB preliminary report cited by Reuters, flight crew members had reported four suspected bird strikes to the airplane’s No. 2 engine during the 12 months preceding the accident. While bird remains were reportedly found in two of those prior cases, maintenance inspections subsequently located no damage.

Cockpit Voice Recorder Captures Engine Failure Timeline

A loud bang sound was recorded about nine minutes and twenty seconds after the start of the takeoff roll, according to the cockpit voice recorder data detailed in the NTSB document. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed fractured fan blades, and investigators recovered three loose fan blade fragments from the engine structure.

The power plant involved is a CFM engine built by a joint venture between France’s Safran and U.S.-based General Electric. Reuters reported that the engine had undergone an inspection in May with no findings noted. Ryanair declined to comment on the preliminary findings when contacted by Reuters on August 13, while a spokesperson for CFM stated that the company was assisting with the ongoing investigation. Boeing deferred all inquiries to the NTSB, citing agency requirements and international air crash investigation rules.

NTSB Examines Parallels to Past Engine Failures

The NTSB, an independent U.S. government agency leading the investigation into the civil transportation accident, is currently evaluating whether the event shares similarities with historical aviation incidents involving comparable engine models. Specifically, the investigative team is reviewing potential parallels to an April 2018 engine failure on a U.S. Southwest Airlines flight. In that prior accident, a passenger was killed after being partially sucked out the window.

Despite the structural similarities in how the cabin windows were breached, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters in an interview that early indications suggest the Ryanair incident does not necessarily mimic the Southwest accident. The NTSB noted in its filing that the determination of any relevant similarities or specific details between the two events remains under active investigation.