Boeing 737 Fans Still Vulnerable to Catastrophic Failures
A Boeing 737 fan blade failure on a Ryanair flight last month exposed the same weakness that led to the death of a US traveller in 2018. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that a fan blade broke loose on July 10, sending fragments through the fuselage after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece.
Ljubisa Karovic, a 61-year-old Serbian passenger, was partially pulled through the shattered window and suffered neck and shoulder injuries. The incident is reminiscent of the 2018 Southwest Airlines crash, where a CFM56 fan blade snapped, causing debris to smash a window and killing Jennifer Riordan.
The NTSB investigated both incidents and found that they were caused by the same weak point: when a fan blade lets go, the engine's inlet and fan cowls can break apart and strike the aircraft. To fix this issue, Boeing designed reinforced inlet and fan cowls, which must be installed across the 737 Next Generation fleet.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized three airworthiness directives in March 2025 to address this problem. However, airlines have until July 31, 2028, to comply with these regulations. This means that many planes flying today do not have these safety upgrades.