U.S. investigators have determined what went wrong last month on a Ryanair flight that saw a 61-year-old passenger partially ejected through a window. According to a preliminary investigation report, pieces of the right engine struck and shattered a glass window in the cabin. Serbian passenger Ljubisa Karović was seriously injured.
Nga Lore Vanhaelewyn, HLN
The incident occurred on July 10, during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. The preliminary US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report states that shortly after takeoff, a fan blade on the right engine broke off.
The pieces that broke off then hit a window in the fuselage and shattered it.
Karović, who was sitting by the window, was pulled out through the opening with his head and right shoulder.
The incident caused panic on board. Karović’s wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, had previously said that she, along with two other passengers, held her husband by the legs for several minutes.
“A man, apparently Albanian, did everything he could to pull my husband back in,” she said. “He first tried to cover the hole with a bag, but it immediately pulled out. Then he used a suitcase and that worked. We will be forever grateful.”
A strong explosion
According to the report, shortly after takeoff, while the aircraft was still gaining altitude, the cockpit crew received a warning of severe vibrations in the right engine.
The pilots reduced engine power and performed some checks. When the vibrations temporarily disappeared, they continued the flight with the autopilot engaged.
A short while later, the tremors increased again and a loud explosion was heard. The pilots immediately declared an emergency and turned back towards Thessaloniki airport, where the plane eventually landed safely.
The cabin crew also heard and felt the strong vibrations. According to the report, flight attendants also noticed a small amount of smoke, after which their oxygen masks automatically fell from the panels.
No defects were found.
Greek authorities handed over the investigation after the incident to the NTSB.
The preliminary report also indicates that the engine in question was checked with ultrasound in May, but no defects were found during this inspection.
© SYRI.net