Torn off sun visor shut down Malta Air Boeing 737 MAX engine over Poland

A Malta Air Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 suffered an in-flight engine shutdown shortly after the aircraft took off from its origin airport, with Polish investigators detailing that a torn-off sun visor struck the engine start lever as the 737 MAX 8-200 of the Ryanair subsidiary was climbing south of Krakow, Poland.

In a notice informing stakeholders about the incident, the State Commission on Aircraft Accidents Investigation (Państwowa Komisja Badania Wypadków Lotniczych, PKBWL) said that on December 8, 2025, a Malta Air 737 MAX 8-200, registered in Malta as 9H-VUE, suffered an in-flight engine shutdown.

During the aircraft’s climb from Krakow John Paul II International Airport (KRK), at an altitude of around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), “the aircraft crew observed an engine shutdown after the sun visor was torn off and the engine start lever was struck.”

The pilots informed air traffic control (ATC) about the event, sending out the ‘PAN PAN’ distress call, and halted the climb at around 10,000 ft (3,048 m), continuing to fly along its current heading.

“After a successful engine start attempt, the crew canceled the PAN PAN and continued the flight to its destination, informing the relevant ATC of the decision.”

According to Flightradar24 records, the Malta Air 737 MAX 8-200 resumed climbing as it entered Czechia’s airspace, reaching a maximum cruise altitude of 35,000 ft (10,668 m) while flying toward Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY).

The aircraft successfully landed at the Italian airport at 14:39 local time (UTC +1), 29 minutes after its scheduled arrival time. The flight, during which the incident occurred, was its third of the day.

However, the 737 MAX 8-200 remained on the ground at BGY for two days before it was ferried to Bologna Airport (BLQ). On December 11, it re-entered service on flight FR 3813 from BLQ to Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD).

BGY is a base for Ryanair, with the low-cost carrier, which is the parent company of Malta Air, having at least five maintenance hangars at the airport. The fourth and fifth hangars were opened in March 2023, representing a further investment of €20 million ($23.4 million), the airport said at the time.

PKBWL indicated that Malta’s Bureau of Air Accident Investigation (BAAI) will be the investigation authority of the incident, and that the investigation is ongoing.