A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 experienced a catastrophic engine failure over Greece on July 10. the resulting explosive decompression nearly pulled passenger Ljubisa Karovic from the aircraft at 15,000 feet.
The 15,000-foot vacuum at seat 11F
The incident began when the right-engine fan hub of the Ryanair Boeing 737-800 shattered, sending high-velocity debris into the fuselage. according to the report , this impact ruptured the window adjacent to seat 11F, creating an immediate vacuum that sucked 61-year-old Serbian national Ljubisa Karovic out of his seat and into the open air.
Karovic survived the ordeal only because his seat belt held him in place and his wife, Svetlana, who was seated behind him, grabbed his legs to pull him back inside. As the report says , Karovic remained unconscious for a period and suffered friction burns from the wind as well as serious trauma to his shoulder and neck.
The NTSB's probe into six suspected bird strikes
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has assumed control of the investigation because the Boeing 737-800 was assembled in the United States. The NTSB is currently evaluating whether the engine failure was linked to six suspected bird strikes that the flight crew had reported to Ryanair over the previous year.
Preliminary findings from the NTSB indicate that bird remains were discovered on two of the aircraft's engines. This suggests that prior minor damage may have existed but remained unidentified during standard maintenance cycles, potentially weakening the fan blade before the July 10 flight.
Michael O'Leary's clash with US investigators
Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary attempted to steer the narrative of the accident before the official findings were released. O'Leary told investors that the inquiry would likely focus on foreign object damage rather than manufacturing errors or maintenance oversight.
The NTSB publicly rebuked O'Leary's comments, stating that the CEO lacked the authority to comment on the probe and that no potential causes had been excluded. Following this rebuke, Ryanair has ceased providing further commentary on the event until the investigation concludes.
The industry shift toward non-destructive evaluation
This accident has reignited a debate among aviation safety experts regarding the adequacy of current fan blade inspection protocols. There is a growing call for airlines to move beyond visual checks and adopt more rigorous non-destructive evaluation methods to detect microscopic fractures in turbines.
The push for better surveillance is particularly urgent for engines that are historically susceptible to bird impacts or micrometeorite damage. Experts argue that the Ryanair incident proves that current regimes may not be sufficient to catch the type of fatigue that leads to catastrophic hub failure.
The five-inch gap in the engine casing
Investigators recovered physical evidence from the scene, including a five-inch gap in the engine casing and debris that matched the turbine-blade design. While maintenance logs cited in the report show the blade set underwent checks in May and November, the exact cause of the fracture remains unverified.
It is still unknown whether the failure was the result of metal fatigue, a manufacturing defect, or a specific bird strike. Because the report primarily focuses on the NTSB's preliminary findings and Ryanair's internal logs, the final determination on whether the maintenance checks were flawed or simply insufficient remains the central open question.
Comments 0