Ryanair boss says 'foreign object' may have broken plane window
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary suggested that a recent mid-air incident where a passenger was partially sucked out of a plane window may have been caused by foreign object damage to the engine. The airline maintains the aircraft was properly serviced, while the US National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation.
Why it matters
The incident raises significant questions regarding aviation safety protocols and the liability of airlines and manufacturers in mechanical failure events.
Figure caption, Watch: Inside Ryanair plane flying with dislodged window
An incident on a Ryanair flight which saw a passenger partially sucked out of a plane window may have been caused by "foreign object damage" to an engine, said the airline's boss.
Michael O'Leary said an initial investigation into the incident on 10 July between Greece and Germany suggests "it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki but ... we can't say that definitively".
He insisted that the engine on the 18-year-old Boeing 737 plane had been fully serviced and overhauled in the last two years.
Serbian national Ljubisa Karović's head and right shoulder were sucked out of the plane's window, leaving him "seriously injured and in shock".
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