NTSB challenges Ryanair CEO’s claims about 737 window blowout cause

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday challenged Ryanair ↗ 1.51% CEO Michael O'Leary over his public remarks about the cause of a Boeing ↗ 2.76% 737 NG window blowout that nearly ejected a passenger from the aircraft earlier this month, saying the agency has not ruled out the plane's age or service history as contributing factors.

O'Leary's Claims Draw Fire

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said O'Leary's comments breached the agency's disclosure protocols governing ongoing investigations and urged caution regarding public statements about the probe. During a Monday earnings call presenting Ryanair's April-June quarterly results, O'Leary told analysts that initial findings pointed to "foreign object damage" to the engine during takeoff. "Initial indication would suggest it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki, but we don't have, we can't say that definitively," O'Leary said.Devdiscourse+3

The NTSB countered that it has not eliminated the possibility of age or service-related issues with the 18-year-old aircraft. Under international aviation rules, parties to an investigation are generally prohibited from publicly disclosing preliminary findings before the lead investigative body issues its report.Devdiscourse

The Incident

On July 10, shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, a component broke from the right engine of the Boeing 737 NG operating Ryanair flight FR1879 and struck a cabin window, shattering it. The resulting rapid decompression partially sucked a passenger out of the aircraft before fellow travelers pulled him back inside. The plane made an emergency landing back in Thessaloniki.AirlineGeeks.com+3

Greece's Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority delegated the investigation to the NTSB on July 16 under International Civil Aviation Organization rules, given the aircraft was manufactured in the United States. A draft report is expected within approximately 28 days.U.S. News & World Report+2

Broader Context

The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2018 Southwest Airlines engine failure on a 737 NG, in which an uncontained fan blade fracture shattered a window and killed a passenger. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has said the agency is reevaluating the Ryanair occurrence in light of those prior cases. Ryanair has said it is cooperating with the NTSB investigation.ABC News+2