New evidence has emerged in the investigation into the serious engine failure suffered by a Ryanair Boeing 737 NG shortly after departing Greece on 10 July, with investigators finding bird remains inside the aircraft's engine.
The finding is included in the preliminary report issued by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation into the incident.
The aircraft was en route to Germany when the engine failure occurred. Part of the engine broke away and struck the fuselage, shattering a cabin window and causing a loss of cabin pressure. One passenger was partially pulled towards the opening created by the broken window.
The crew declared an emergency and carried out a precautionary landing.
What the preliminary report found
According to the NTSB's preliminary findings, investigators discovered bird remains in the aircraft's No. 2 engine.
The report also revealed that, during the 12 months before the incident, flight crews had reported four possible bird strikes involving the same engine.
In two of those cases, bird remains were also found.
However, the NTSB said subsequent inspections did not identify any damage.
The CFM engine, produced by a joint venture between France's Safran and US-based General Electric, underwent inspection in May, with no issues detected.
Engine fragment shattered cabin window
During the flight to Germany, part of the engine detached and struck the aircraft fuselage, breaking a cabin window.
The impact caused depressurisation, while one passenger was partially sucked towards the opening.
The flight crew subsequently carried out an emergency landing and terminated the flight.
Neither Boeing nor Ryanair commented on the preliminary findings on Thursday, while General Electric and Safran were not immediately available for comment.
Comparisons with Southwest Airlines disaster examined
Investigators are also studying previous engine-failure cases, including the fatal Southwest Airlines accident of April 2018.
In that incident, an in-flight engine failure caused debris to shatter a cabin window. A passenger was partially pulled outside the aircraft and later died from her injuries.
According to the NTSB report:
"The investigative team is aware of prior events involving similar engine models that resulted in damage to engine inlets or cowls and portions of the fuselage."
Investigators stressed, however, that no substantive link has yet been established between the Ryanair incident and previous cases.
FAA cautious over similarities
Brian Bedford, head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), expressed caution about drawing direct comparisons between the two events.
"I don't think the early indications show that the recent Ryanair problem is a repeat of what happened on Southwest," he told Reuters.
The NTSB investigation remains ongoing as investigators work to establish the precise sequence of events and determine the cause of the engine failure.
While the discovery of bird remains has become a significant element of the inquiry, the preliminary report does not conclude that a bird strike caused the failure.
A final determination on what caused the engine component to detach and the cabin window to shatter will be made once the investigation is completed.
