Fragments from a damaged engine shattered a window on a Ryanair aircraft, leaving a passenger partially pulled outside the cabin during a flight in July, according to US investigators.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said an engine fan blade separated shortly after the 10 July service departed Greece for Germany.

Serbian businessman Ljubisa Karović, who was seated beside the window in 11F, had his head and right arm drawn through the broken opening during the emergency.

Other passengers prevented Karović from being pulled farther outside by holding on to him and bringing him back into the cabin.

The 61-year-old said he felt fortunate to have survived the incident aboard Ryanair flight FR1879. His wife, Svetlana, told him that he lost consciousness several times, including after fellow travellers had pulled him inside.

The NTSB said the flight, scheduled to travel from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen near Munich, suffered a fan-blade-out failure in its No 2 right engine while climbing away from Thessaloniki international airport. The service was operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air.

Investigators said the cabin lost pressure, prompting the two pilots to turn back to Thessaloniki, where the aircraft landed without further problems.

Greek authorities handed full responsibility for the investigation to the NTSB several days after the event.

The NTSB outlined the crew’s account, saying the pilots initially received a warning of severe engine vibration during the climb. They responded by reducing power and completing several checks.

After the vibration subsided, the crew continued climbing with the autopilot engaged. The shaking later intensified sharply, followed by a loud explosion-like noise.

The pilots put on oxygen masks, declared an emergency and immediately began descending.

Cabin crew members reported hearing and feeling a strong, sustained vibration and noticing a small quantity of mist or smoke before the passenger oxygen masks were released, according to the report.

Flight crews had recorded four bird strikes involving the aircraft’s right engine during the previous 12 months. Bird remains were reportedly discovered after two of those events. The fan blades had also received ultrasonic examinations in recent months, with no defects identified.

Speaking less than two weeks after the incident, Karović said he remembered little but was experiencing pain in his head and neck. He suggested his fastened seatbelt may have saved him, while also attributing his survival to fate and expressing daily gratitude to God.

The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 149 passengers and four cabin crew members.