Broken engine parts smashed a window on a Ryanair flight and caused a man's head to be sucked out at 15,000ft, investigators have found.A fan blade in the Boeing 737-800's right engine is said to have broken loose shortly after takeoff in Greece on July 10, sending shards spewing out at high speed.This proved disastrous for Ljubisa Karovic when, 20 minutes into the flight from Thessaloniki, the window next to his 11F seat smashed with an ear-splitting bang.Within moments, his right shoulder, arm and head were outside the plane, his senses battered by the change in air pressure.The sudden and intense cabin decompression had sucked him through the gaping hole, and his wife was forced to cling desperately to him.Svetlana Grkovic Maksimovic, who had been sitting in an aisle seat three rows behind, leapt to her feet and grabbed her husband's legs, holding him inside the cabin.Mr Karovic, 61, suffered neck and shoulder injuries, as well as friction burns.After the extraordinary accident, Greece turned the investigation over to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US under international aviation rules, as the Boeing jet was assembled in America. The broken window of the Boeing 737-800, which investigators believe was smashed by a broken fan blade Ljubisa Karovic was partially sucked out of his window due to the sudden change in pressure A large hole was left in the side of the engine casingIt is a preliminary report from the agency that has found the fan blade broke - though the reason for this has not yet been determined.Maintenance records show the blades in the right engine had been inspected in May 2026 and November 2025, with no damage found. But flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes to the same engine over the previous year, according to the NTSB. Bird remains were found after two of them.Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigator who reviewed the preliminary report, said that the plane's maintenance schedule appeared to have been followed correctly. Investigators, however, will likely examine how the inspections were conducted and whether the previous suspected bird strikes inflicted any damage.Mr Guzzetti said: 'We know what happened and even to some extent why it happened, but there's still unanswered questions that the NTSB will get at.'Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was scolded by the NTSB last month after telling investors the investigation was focused on foreign object damage, rather than a defect due to the plane's age or maintenance history.The agency said nothing had been ruled out and that O'Leary wasn't authorised to discuss the investigation.Ryanair said on Thursday it would not comment further until the NTSB investigation is complete. Medics arrive on the plane after it landed – as Ljubisa had suffered burns from the high-speed winds lashing his torso The Serbian national was told he would have to wear a neck brace for six weeks, and was suffering with neck and shoulder pain two weeks after the ordeal