Ryanair Plane Engine Fails After Bird Strike During Flight

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 experienced severe engine vibration and a loud bang during flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany on July 10. The crew detected the issue at approximately 16,000 ft, and passengers heard a loud noise.

The broken window caused rapid depressurization, pulling a passenger partially into the opening before he was dragged back in by his wife and other passengers. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.

Investigators found bird remains inside components of the No. 2 engine, which had been involved in four suspected bird strikes during the previous 12 months. Bird remains were identified after two of those events, but maintenance inspections found no damage.