Irish budget airline Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary received a rare warning from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday (US time) after a 61-year-old passenger was nearly sucked out of a Boeing 737 NG aircraft operated by the carrier’s subsidiary Malta Air.

As the near-fatal disaster struck when the jet was flying over Greece thousands of feet in the air, the US NTSB announced July 16 that it would lead the investigation into the incident. Despite the probe still being underway, Ryanair’s outspoken CEO said in a public earnings call on Monday that an initial finding suggested “foreign object damage” was responsible for the near-catastrophic horror, as quoted by Reuters.

In its letter (as seen on social media and quoted by Reuters) published Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board sternly contradicted O’Leary’s remarks dismissing the aircraft’s age or servicing conditions as what may have factored into the terrifying development. Although the NTSB rarely issues a rebuke, a copy of its admonishing letter to the Ryanair CEO is now circulating online and has gone viral. Therein, the agency’s chief asserted that Michael O’Leary’s statement violated international rules governing investigations into aircraft incidents.

US officials reprimand Ryanair CEO after terrifying plane window incident

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy outrightly countered O’Leary’s “foreign object damage” claims in the letter, which she said, “serves as a reminder of the obligations that apply to Ryanair as a technical advisor to the investigation.” The agency further challenged the remarks made by the airline’s top executive, saying, “The NTSB has not yet made any such determination, and our investigators are still considering age or servicing issues as contributing to this event.”

Affirming the US agency’s lead investigative authority for the accident investigation, officials asserted that “accredited representatives and their technical advisors” must not release investigative information “without the NTSB’s express consent.” Urging the low-cost airline to ensure that the potential investigative information is protected from public release, the NTSB underscored that it had not ruled out “age or servicing issues as contributing” to the recent event.

The Ryanair chief, on his part, said on the public earnings call this week that the aircraft at the centre of the recent life-threatening episode was 18 years old. He even asserted that its engine had been fully serviced and overhauled within the last two years.

“Mr O’Leary’s public statements violate Annex 13 as they provide an opinion and analysis of the accident and suggest potential areas of interest in the ongoing investigation,” NTSB Chairwoman Homendy continued in the letter.

“Because failure to comply with Annex 13’s restriction, depending on the investigative relevance and accuracy of such information, may impact the integrity of the investigation, I urge Mr O’Leary to refrain from further public statements regarding the investigation while it is ongoing.”

What happened: Ryanair passenger opens up about horror

On July 10, a piece of a Malta Air Boeing plane broke off and smashed a window shortly after the jet took off from Thessaloniki in Greece, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) subsequent statement. The plane, originally destined for Germany, was forced to make an emergency landing after it lost pressure.

Airport sources with knowledge of the incident told Reuters at the time that the incident resulted in a near-death episode for a man, who nearly got sucked out of a “dislodged” passenger window, as described by Ryanair. According to Flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane was ascending through 15,000 feet about six minutes after departure when it suffered an uncontained engine failure.

At the time, Ryanair didn’t immediately confirm claims that a passenger nearly flew out the window but stated that a person “requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.”

The traumatised passenger has since been identified as 61-year-old Serbian native Ljubisa Karovic. His wife, Svetlana Grkovic’s swift, heroic reaction to the horror, ultimately helped save his life as she clung to his legs. Other passengers then rushed to help her and pull Karovic back inside.

She previously told Serbian-language outlet Nova, “I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: ‘If we die, we die together.’ It was horrible.”

A draft report on the Ryanair problem is expected to be issued in about 28 days, ahead of a more detailed report, according to CEO Michael O’Leary’s recent admissions. 

Source: Financial Express