Dec 8th 2025 : A Malta Air Boeing 737-8 MAX operating on behalf of Ryanair experienced an unusual in-flight event shortly after departure from Poland, when a detached cockpit sun visor led to the shutdown of one of the aircraft’s engines.
The aircraft, registered 9H-VUE, was operating flight FR-3505 from Krakow (Poland) to Milan Bergamo (Italy). After departing from runway 25, the aircraft was climbing through approximately FL080 when a sun visor from the right-hand cockpit window (R1) became detached. The visor was torn free and struck engine start lever No. 2, causing the right-hand LEAP engine to shut down.
The flight crew declared PAN PAN, levelled the aircraft off at FL100, and maintained their present heading while assessing the situation. An attempt to restart the affected engine was made and proved successful.
With engine parameters restored and no further abnormalities observed, the crew cancelled the PAN PAN and elected to continue the flight. The aircraft landed safely in Milan Bergamo approximately 90 minutes after departure. No injuries were reported.
Following arrival, the aircraft remained on the ground in Milan for around 50 hours before returning to service.
Malta’s Bureau of Air Accident Investigation (BAAI) classified the event as an incident and opened a formal investigation.
In correspondence dated 19 December 2025, the BAAI explained that Poland, as the State of Occurrence, chose not to open an investigation. In accordance with ICAO Annex 13, this allowed Malta, as the State of Registry, to assume investigative responsibility. The BAAI stated that the decision was taken because “valuable safety lessons may be learned from this event,” a view reinforced by Boeing’s significant interest in the occurrence. Poland has since appointed an accredited representative to participate in the investigation.
In its preliminary report released on 13 January 2026, the BAAI confirmed:
“B737-8200 registered 9H-VUE experienced engine No. 2 in-flight shutdown during climb at approximately flight level FL80. The shutdown occurred following the detachment of the sun visor from R1 window, which subsequently struck the engine start lever No. 2.
The engine 2 was successfully restarted, and the flight continued to its planned destination without further events.”
The investigation remains ongoing, with particular focus on the sun visor attachment mechanism, cockpit ergonomics, and the potential implications for engine control protection and flight deck design.
