A passenger was pulled partially out of a Ryanair plane after a window beside his seat shattered thousands of feet in the air. Now, a newly released investigation report explains what struck the aircraft hard enough to break the window.
The incident happened on July 10 aboard Ryanair Flight 1879 as the Boeing 737 traveled from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report, the aircraft was climbing at around 16,000 feet when its right engine began experiencing increasingly severe vibrations.
A loud bang sounded, the cabin lost pressure, and the pilots declared an emergency before beginning an immediate descent. The NTSB reports that the plane did ultimately return safely to Thessaloniki, where first responders were waiting.
The Aug. 13 preliminary report now explains how the window was destroyed. The NTSB found that a fan blade inside the right engine fractured and separated. This sent engine fragments into the fuselage and through the passenger window in row 11.
A Passenger Was Pulled Partially Through A Broken Window
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Σοκαριστικό περιστατικό σε πτήση της Ryanair (Θεσσαλονίκη-Μέμινγκεν). Κομμάτι κινητήρα έσπασε παράθυρο και επιβάτης παρασύρθηκε προς τα έξω! Τον συγκράτησε η γυναίκα του. Το Boeing 737 επέστρεψε με ασφάλεια· στο ΑΧΕΠΑ ο 61χρονος τραυματίας. #BreakingNews #Aeroplane pic.twitter.com/AnCAFRxcwS
— Aris Koufovasilis🛸🚀📟📡☣️ (@AKoufovasilis) July 10, 2026
The passenger sitting beside that damaged window was 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic. His wife, Svetlana Maksimovic, told Reuters that after hearing that loud bang, she saw that her husband’s head and right arm were hanging outside the aircraft.
The NTSB report states that Karovic was partially lodged in the damaged window, which was completely missing by the time a flight attendant reached him. Some passengers called for help, NBC News New York reports, while others grabbed Karovic and pulled him completely back inside the cabin.
According to NBC New York, once Karovic was safely inside, other passengers retrieved a metal box they used to try to block the open window. The NTSB says Karovic was moved to another row and treated by a doctor.
Karovic sustained serious injuries. Following the accident, Maksimovic told Reuters that her husband was being treated at a Thessaloniki hospital for severe injuries to his neck and arm.
Investigators Found A Fractured Engine Fan Blade And Signs Of Fatigue
Investigators determined that one fan blade inside the right engine fractured and separated below its base. The NTSB found that flying pieces from the engine then collided with several areas of the plane, including the fuselage and the window at row 11.
Investigators also found signs of metal fatigue on part of the broken fan blade. However, the NTSB says the investigation is ongoing, and officials have not yet determined exactly why the blade failed.
According to AP News, investigators also recovered bird remains from inside the damaged engine. Reuters reports that crews documented four suspected bird strikes around the same engine over the past 12 months, although subsequent maintenance checks found no damage.
The NTSB has not concluded that a bird strike caused the July 10 fan-blade failure. Investigators have established what happened next: the broken fan blade sent engine fragments into the aircraft, damaging the fuselage and shattering a passenger window. The cabin depressurized, and fellow passengers pulled Karovic back inside before the plane returned safely to Thessaloniki, Greece.