Passenger pulled partially out of Ryanair plane after window shatters on Greece-Germany flight

A Ryanair Boeing 737 operating a Malta Air-managed flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen experienced a window rupture shortly after take-off on July 10, when debris believed to have originated from a damaged engine struck the fuselage. The incident caused rapid depressurisation, forcing the aircraft to descend and return to Thessaloniki.

The passenger, 61-year-old Ljubisa Karović, was partially pulled out of the aircraft through the shattered window. He said he was held back by his wife and other passengers, and that a fellow traveller used a suitcase to block the opening. Karović was hospitalised with neck, shoulder and friction-burn injuries and will wear a neck brace for six weeks while his recovery is assessed.

"The explosion is what I remember," Karović told The Guardian.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said preliminary analysis suggests the engine may have suffered foreign-object damage, though the exact cause remains under investigation. The airline said crew members attended to the passenger and provided oxygen masks during the emergency descent, and that medical assistance was arranged after the aircraft reached a safe altitude.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with participation from Greece’s Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority. Flight-tracking data show the plane climbed to about 15,000 feet before descending to roughly 6,000 feet, remaining at the lower altitude for about 30 minutes to burn fuel before landing.