Ryanair’s Boeing 737‑NG from Thessaloniki to Memmingen suffered a window blowout that nearly sucked a passenger out. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report found four bird strikes in the year before the incident, all involving the No 2 engine and leaving bird remains in the engine—an element Ryanair had not highlighted.

The report explains a fan blade broke off minutes after take‑off, tearing through the engine and striking the window, which caused rapid depressurisation and oxygen mask deployment. Crew logs show high vibration and a loud bang about nine minutes into flight, followed by cabin pressure loss.

The NTSB details differ from remarks by Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary, who told investors that all passengers were belted in and that no one was “halfway out of the window.” The report records a cabin‑crew member saw a passenger partially lodged in the damaged window and that the injured passenger was moved to row 12 and treated by a doctor‑passenger.

The engine was built by CFM International, a joint venture of GE Aerospace and France’s Safran. Boeing said it will continue to support the investigation. Ryanair declined to comment, while noting the incident is under thorough review.