The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that it is leading the investigation into a Ryanair flight incident over Greek airspace in which a window shattered and part of an engine detached, nearly ejecting a passenger from the cabin.
The incident occurred aboard a Boeing 737 flying from Thessaloniki, during which a Serbian passenger was partially sucked out of the aircraft through the broken window before being pulled back inside by fellow passengers, narrowly avoiding a far worse outcome.
Greek authorities formally assigned the investigation to the NTSB, though Greece will participate as an accredited representative in the process.
"After further analysis of the flight path of the Ryanair Boeing 737, investigators determined that the accident occurred within Greek airspace.
Under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13, which allow the country where an accident occurred to delegate the investigation to another competent authority, Greece's Hellenic Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board decided to assign the investigation to the NTSB.
The NTSB accepted the assignment and is leading the investigation, with Greece participating as an Accredited Representative," the NTSB said in a statement.
The incident, which occurred at an altitude of roughly 20,000 feet, left the Serbian passenger with injuries to his neck and shoulder along with friction burns; he remains hospitalized. His wife has described scenes of panic aboard the aircraft, saying he hung partially outside the plane for nearly two minutes before being pulled back in by nearby passengers.
Greek aviation experts have suggested the window damage may have resulted from a fragment of a turbine blade ejected from the engine, though the exact cause remains under investigation.
By Kostas Efthymiadis