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Plane Crashes

NTSB preliminary report: fan blade broke loose on Ryanair-group 737-800 out of Thessaloniki

A passenger's head was pulled through a broken window on the July 10, 2026 flight; investigators say they have not determined why the blade failed.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 13, 2026, 11:33 p.m. ETWritten Aug 16, 2026, 9:26 a.m. ET
Developing

This is a developing story. Details reported early are provisional and are frequently revised. Where sources disagree, both readings are given.

Investigators have not determined what caused a fan blade in the right engine of a to break loose shortly after from , , on July 10, 2026, according to a report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board described by NBC DFW. The investigation is open and developing. According to the account reported by NBC DFW, fragments from the failed blade broke a cabin window and damaged the fuselage. A 61-year-old passenger's head was pulled through the broken window before other passengers pulled him back inside; the outlet reported he suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. Passengers used a metal box obtained from flight attendants to try to block the opening. The aircraft returned to about an hour after and landed normally. NBC DFW reported that investigators found bird remains inside the engine, which the report described as suggesting a possible bird strike during . The NTSB said investigators had not ruled anything out, and the report says the reason the fan blade broke loose has not been determined. turned the investigation over to the NTSB under international aviation rules. The Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment on the open investigation, saying it closely supports the NTSB. The NTSB reprimanded Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary for telling investors the investigation focused on foreign object damage. Other details in the report, as relayed by NBC DFW: fan blades in the right engine had ultrasonic inspections in May 2026 and November 2025 with no damage found; flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year; and FAA directives effective April 2025 requiring engine covering changes on Boeing 737s had not yet been carried out on the aircraft, with a deadline of July 2028. The aircraft was delivered new to Ryanair in 2008, according to Flightradar24 data cited by the outlet. The operator was . The registration of the aircraft involved has not been identified in the available reporting; registry records list 50 aircraft under , of which 44 match the reported type, registered in Malta. Those records describe the operator's fleet and are not an identification of the aircraft in this event.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
23 ft
Nearest aerodrome
8.6 miles NNW of Thessaloniki Macedonia International Airport (LGTS/SKG)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 116 Aug 2026, 13:26current

    First published.

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