Flight crews had recorded four suspected bird strikes involving the same engine during the previous year, with bird remains found after two of them.
United States air safety investigators have found evidence of metal fatigue in an engine fan blade that fractured during a Ryanair flight last month, sending debris into the cabin and shattering a window where a passenger was partially pulled into the opening.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that about 37 percent of the fracture surface on the failed blade showed features consistent with fatigue.
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Investigators traced the damage to an area near the root of the blade, finding signs of high-amplitude fatigue caused by repeated stress. The agency has not yet determined the root cause of the failure.
Cabin depressurised
The July 10 incident occurred on a Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary, flying from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft was climbing through 16,000 feet (4,877 metres) when the pilots received a high-vibration alert from the right engine. The vibration rapidly increased before the crew heard a loud bang and the cabin lost pressure.
Fragments from the engine struck the fuselage and penetrated the cabin, shattering the window at row 11.
A flight attendant responding to calls for help found a 61-year-old passenger in seat 11F partially lodged in the missing window opening. Passengers managed to pull the man back into the cabin.
The passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. A doctor on board treated him as the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki. Passengers also used a metal box from the galley to try to block the opening.
Bird remains recovered
Investigators found feathers and bird remains in several parts of the engine, but the NTSB has not concluded that a bird strike caused the blade to break.
Maintenance records show the engine was involved in four suspected bird strikes over the previous year, with remains found after two of them.
The engine’s fan blades underwent ultrasonic inspections in November 2025 and May 2026, with no damage detected. The NTSB investigation remains ongoing.
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