What Caused the Ryanair Mid-Air Window Failure? 'Foreign Object' Under Investigation

A preliminary investigation into the Ryanair flight that left a passenger partially sucked through a shattered cabin window is focusing on whether a 'foreign object' damaged one of the aircraft's engines during take-off. Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause.

The incident occurred on 10 July when a Ryanair-operated Malta Air Boeing 737-800 travelling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, suffered an engine failure shortly after departure. Debris hit a cabin window, causing rapid depressurisation and forcing the aircraft to return to Thessaloniki.

What Happened During the Flight?

The passenger seated beside the damaged window, 61-year-old Serbian businessman Ljubiša Karović, was partially pulled through the opening as air rushed from the cabin. Fellow passengers, including his wife, Svetlana Grković, pulled him back into the aircraft.

'We pulled him back together. His entire face was deformed and blood was pouring from his nose and mouth,' Grković recalled.

Karović suffered neck, shoulder and friction burn injuries before being taken to hospital after the aircraft landed safely. The remaining passengers later continued their journey on a replacement aircraft.

Investigators Focus on 'Foreign Object Damage'

Investigators believe fragments from the failed right-hand engine struck the fuselage before shattering the cabin window, causing the pressure seal to rupture and triggering the rapid decompression.

Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary said preliminary findings suggest the engine may have suffered foreign object damage shortly after take-off.

'Initial indication would suggest it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki, but we can't say that definitively,' he said.

In aviation, foreign object damage refers to debris entering an engine and causing mechanical damage. O'Leary added that the 18-year-old aircraft was fully airworthy and that its engines had undergone a complete overhaul within the previous two years.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), working with the Greek authorities, continues to examine the engine failure sequence, maintenance records, the aircraft's age and whether debris triggered the chain of events.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has cautioned that neither the aircraft's age nor its maintenance history has been ruled out, with a preliminary report expected within about 28 days.

Passenger Describes Lasting Trauma

Karović said the incident has left him 'mentally destroyed' and continues to affect his daily life.

'I can't go out, everything bothers me, mentally I am destroyed, this has had a huge impact on my life. Whenever I hear the sound of a plane, I become stressed,' he told German newspaper Bild.

Speaking separately to The Guardian, Karović said: 'The explosion is what I remember. It's the noise before the chaos, the noise that is always there when I close my eyes to sleep.'

Karović continues to recover from his physical injuries and psychological trauma. While his lawyer argues that fellow passengers were primarily responsible for pulling him back into the cabin, Ryanair maintains its crew followed established emergency procedures during the depressurisation.

Passengers reportedly first tried to block the opening with a handbag, which was immediately sucked out of the aircraft, before wedging a hard suitcase against the damaged window until the plane landed safely.

Until the NTSB publishes its preliminary findings, the exact cause of the Ryanair mid-air window failure remains under investigation.