Wife describes harrowing rescue of husband after Ryanair plane window blows out
A Serbian passenger was partially sucked out of a Ryanair Boeing 737 after a window detached mid-flight, and his wife said he remains hospitalized and traumatized.
A Ryanair Boeing 737-NG flying from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on July 10 was forced to return to Greece after a passenger window detached, causing rapid cabin depressurisation. Serbian passenger Ljubisa Karović, 61, was pulled partly out of the aircraft, with his wife Svetlana Grković and another passenger holding him as he lost consciousness several times.
"He was outside up to his chest for two minutes while I grabbed his legs and another passenger held his hand," Grković told Serbian outlet Nova, as reported by the BBC.
Other travellers said Karović’s seatbelt remained fastened, keeping his body from being fully ejected, while his head and shoulders protruded through the opening. Oxygen masks deployed and a suitcase was placed against the breach, but the luggage was pulled out as the cabin pressure fell.
The aircraft landed safely back at Thessaloniki, and one passenger received medical attention after the emergency landing. Karović was taken to hospital, where officials said his injuries are not life-threatening but he remains in shock and experiences severe anxiety about flying.
The Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority has opened an investigation, with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration offering assistance. The incident follows a similar 2024 event involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug loss, which prompted extensive safety reviews of the aircraft type.