**Title: Engine Parts Breach Ryanair Window, Leading to Passenger Injury, Preliminary Report Reveals**
In a disturbing incident involving a Ryanair flight, broken engine fragments caused a cabin window to shatter, resulting in severe injuries to a passenger. This preliminary finding was reported by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following an investigation into the event that occurred on July 10 during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
The incident involved a Serbian national, Ljubisa Karović, whose head and right shoulder were partially sucked out of the aircraft through the damaged window. His wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, recounted the harrowing experience, stating that she and two other passengers held onto his legs for several minutes to prevent him from being fully ejected from the aircraft.
According to the NTSB report, the flight experienced a failure of the No. 2 engine fan blade shortly after takeoff. The crew reported receiving an alert indicating high vibrations from the engine during their ascent. In response, they reduced engine power and conducted a series of checks. Although the vibrations initially subsided, they soon escalated again, accompanied by a loud bang. This prompted the crew to declare an emergency and initiate a descent back to Thessaloniki International Airport, where they landed safely.
Flight attendants reported feeling the vibrations and observing a small amount of smoke in the cabin before deploying oxygen masks. It was at this point that they noticed passengers in distress, as one individual was found partially lodged in the window, which was completely missing.
The engine in question had undergone ultrasonic inspections just two months prior to the incident, with no faults reported at that time. Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, suggested that the incident might have resulted from "foreign object damage" to the engine, although further investigations are ongoing.
The NTSB has been tasked with leading the investigation into the incident following delegation by Greek authorities. The findings outlined in the preliminary report provide a timeline of events as described by the flight crew, detailing the sequence of alerts and actions taken in response to the mechanical failure.
As investigations continue, the aviation community is closely monitoring the situation, particularly regarding the safety protocols in place for engine inspections and the potential implications for passenger safety on commercial flights.