An engine failure on a Ryanair flight caused parts to smash an acrylic window, nearly sucking a passenger out of the plane. Ljubisa Karović was pulled headfirst through the broken window, and his wife, Svetlana Grković, grabbed his legs to save him. She told Serbian outlet Nova: 'If we die, we die together.'
Incident details
The flight, operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, was from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany. About 10 minutes after takeoff, tracking data shows the plane suddenly dropped 9,000ft (2,700m). The engine failure sent parts loose, which smashed the window, causing cabin decompression.
Grković said her husband was 'outside up to his chest' for two minutes. With the help of two passengers, she pulled him back inside. He lost consciousness three times. Many passengers fled their seats as the cabin decompressed.
Injuries and aftermath
Karović, 61, remains hospitalized in Greece, 'seriously injured and in shock,' Grković said. 'His hand is particularly badly injured, and he's got burns. He's not able to communicate, he doesn't remember the whole event.' She thanked an Albanian man who helped her, saying she would like to meet him personally.
Images show oxygen masks deployed after the window shattered. One passenger told Radio Thessaloniki: 'The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn't breathe.' Another said there were screams and 'for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door.'
Investigation
Thessaloniki airport operator Fraport Greece said the incident is under investigation by the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority. Ryanair stated the flight 'returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window dislodged in flight' and that the aircraft landed normally. A replacement aircraft allowed other passengers to complete the trip to Memmingen the same day.
