Passenger briefly exposed to open window on Ryanair 737 en route from Greece
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 returned to Thessaloniki after a window detached at 13,000 feet, briefly exposing a passenger before the aircraft descended and landed safely.
A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 operating from Thessaloniki to Memmingen experienced a cabin-pressurisation incident when a passenger window detached about ten minutes after take-off, at an altitude of roughly 13,000 feet. Video from the flight showed oxygen masks deploying as the crew initiated an emergency descent.
According to eyewitness accounts reported by the BBC, a man in his 60s, identified as a Serbian citizen, was partially outside the aircraft, hanging by his shoulders for several minutes before fellow passengers helped pull him back inside. ABC said other passengers held his feet to prevent him from being fully ejected.
The pilots lowered the aircraft to 6,000 feet and returned to Thessaloniki, where the plane landed without further incident. One passenger required medical assistance on the ground. Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to continue the scheduled service to Memmingen later that morning.
Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737, confirmed it was aware of the incident involving flight FR1879 and was in contact with the airline.