Preliminary reports indicate that a bird strike may have caused a Ryanair cabin window to shatter, nearly leading to a situation where passengers could have been sucked out of the aircraft. This information comes from a document issued by the NTSB on Thursday.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board stated that Air Malta Flight 1879, operated on a Boeing 737-8AS, was climbing through 16,000 feet after taking off from Greece for Germany on July 10 when a fan blade from its right engine broke.
This incident led to the dislodgment of the blade, shattering a cabin window and resulting in rapid decompression.
Investigators found bird remains and feathers scattered throughout the damaged engine and noted four prior suspected bird strikes affecting the right engine in the year leading up to this accident.
While the isolated fan blades presented signs of significant fatigue, researchers observed transfers of organic matter onto several neighboring blades.
The NTSB, alongside global safety agencies, continues to investigate whether the bird strike was the singular reason for the engine’s catastrophic failure.
Interestingly, the report mentioned that the engine cover was outdated and hadn’t been equipped with stronger safety bolts as mandated by newer FAA regulations. However, the airline is not currently in violation, as they have until July 2028 to comply with these updates.
In a dramatic moment, Ljubisa Karovic was nearly sucked out of the plane while seated in his 11th-row spot.
Fellow passengers bravely held onto the 61-year-old Serbian entrepreneur to prevent him from being ejected.
Karovic later recounted that since this near-fatal episode, he only struggles to sleep before situations he deems catastrophic. “What stands out in my memory is the explosion,” he reflected, describing the intense noise that preceded the chaos.
He also shared, “They told me I passed out twice during the flight, and the sudden pressure change left my face swollen and disfigured for a time.”
The father of two sustained serious burns and bruises along his right arm, from his armpit down to his chest, but he considers himself fortunate to be alive.
“I don’t recall much, and my neck and head still ache,” he mentioned to the media. “But I’m still here. I feel lucky.”
