This information is preliminary and subject to change.
Updated 13 August 2026
Read the
Investigation Preliminary Report
Malta Air, doing business as Ryanair flight 1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, registration 9H-QEU, experienced a No. 2 (right) engine fan-blade-out (FBO) failure during climb out from the Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG), Thessaloniki, Greece. Engine fragments breached the fuselage and the cabin depressurized. The crew elected to return to SKG where they made an uneventful landing. The flight was a scheduled international passenger flight from SKG to Memmingen Airport (FMM), Memmingen, Germany. There were 2 pilots, 4 flight attendants, and 149 passengers (including one lap child) on board. One passenger sustained serious injuries.
The NTSB traveled to the accident site. On July 16, 2026, the Greece Hellenic Air and Railway Safety Investigation Authority (HARSIA) delegated the investigation in full to the NTSB. As part of the investigative process, the NTSB invited qualified parties to participate in the investigation. These included:
- the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
- The Boeing Company, and
- GE Aerospace.
In accordance with the provisions of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the countries of Greece (State of Occurrence), Malta (State of the Operator and Registry), and France (State of Manufacture of the Engines, jointly with the United States) designated Accredited Representatives to the investigation, and Malta Air, Safran Aircraft Engines, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) were designated as technical advisors.
