Ryanair Passengers Held Man's Legs for Minutes After His Head Was Sucked Out of Shattered Window

Investigators are examining whether the bird remains and previous suspected bird strikes involving the engine were connected to the failure. (Photo for illustration purposes only.) (Credit: Michael Oldfield, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY‑SA 4.0)

A passenger's head and right shoulder were pulled through a broken cabin window during a flight from Greece to Germany last month after a fan blade broke apart inside the aircraft's right-hand engine, according to a preliminary investigation.

The incident happened on 10 July during a Malta Air flight operated for Ryanair from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, with the aircraft climbing at about 20,000 feet. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which was asked by Greek authorities to lead the investigation, said engine debris struck the fuselage and damaged the window.