NTSB finds bird remains in Ryanair engine that failed over Greece

Ryanair had not completed FAA engine fixes ordered after prior incidents

A preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators found bird remains, including feathers, inside components of the engine of a Ryanair Boeing 737 that suffered an engine failure over Greece on July 10, seriously injuring a passenger.

The report describes a sequence that began as the Boeing 737 Next Generation was climbing through its flight. Pilots received indications of high vibrations in one of the jet’s two engines, followed by a loud bang, near Polykastro, Greece, at around 16,000 feet, according to the report.

The separated fan blade damaged portions of the engine’s cover and sent engine fragments flying, striking the airplane’s fuselage and its horizontal stabilizer. The report did not explicitly state that investigators believe a bird strike led to the fan blade fracturing.

When the cabin depressurized, the passenger in seat 11F got partially lodged where the dislodged window had been, the report said. Other passengers pulled the injured passenger back into the cabin, and one tried to block the blown-out window hole with a metal box.

Autopilot was disengaged, the pilots declared an emergency and the aircraft descended immediately as passenger oxygen masks dropped, according to the report. The flight otherwise landed safely. The NTSB report noted the engine was inspected in May with no findings.

Investigators also noted that Ryanair had not completed FAA-mandated fixes to strengthen various engine components, required in three separate directives. The compliance deadline for each of the directives is in July 2028. The report did not say whether the fixes could have prevented the accident.

The directives followed two other fan blade-out events in 2016 and 2018. In the second of those events, a Southwest Airlines passenger was partially pulled through a similar opening and died from her injuries. The 2018 incident shaped the regulatory directives that the report said Ryanair had not yet completed.

Southwest Airlines said Thursday it has modified about 80% of its Boeing planes subject to the FAA requirements, calling the progress significant. Ryanair declined to comment. Boeing said it was supporting the NTSB’s investigation. The FAA said it would “take any necessary safety actions based on the evidence.”