Ryanair 737-800 Suffers CFM56 Fan Blade-Out, Cabin Depressurization Over Greece

A Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air as Ryanair flight FR1879 suffered a CFM56 fan blade-out (FBO) event July 10, 2026, during its climb from Thessaloniki, Greece. Approximately 10 minutes after departure, while climbing through 16,000 feet, the No. 2 engine failed, sending debris into the fuselage and blowing out a cabin window.

The resulting rapid depressurization nearly ejected a passenger in his 60s, who was partially pulled through the window opening before crew members and fellow passengers restrained him. The flight crew declared an emergency, shut down the right engine and executed a single-engine return to Thessaloniki Airport (SKG), landing safely at approximately 07:10 local time.

Investigation and Technical Context

U.S. and European aviation authorities have launched an investigation into the failure, focusing on fan blade integrity and the aircraft's compliance with applicable airworthiness directives. Technical analysis suggests the event may have been caused by low-cycle fatigue cracking in the fan blade dovetail — a failure mode previously identified in the 2018 Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 accident. Investigators are examining whether the aircraft had undergone the NTSB-recommended fan cowl redesign intended to prevent engine debris from striking the fuselage during an FBO event. Current regulatory mandates require ultrasonic non-destructive testing of CFM56-7B fan blades every 1,600 cycles to detect microscopic fractures.