THESSALONIKI, Greece – A man was almost pulled through the window of a Ryanair flight when it detached mid-air, with fellow passengers grabbing him and dragging him back inside the cabin.
The Serbian tourist was flying from Thessaloniki to Memmingen in Germany when the incident occurred over North Macedonia shortly after takeoff. He remains hospitalised with friction burns but is in good condition.
A passenger on the flight described the terrifying moments to Radio Thessaloniki: “Most of us had fallen asleep. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting. We immediately realised there had been a decompression.”
“There were screams. For a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” the woman said. “The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
Other passengers seated nearby pulled the man back into the aircraft.
Greek media reported that the window broke after being struck by debris that detached from one of the plane’s engines.
The Boeing 737-800 returned to Thessaloniki airport where it landed safely. Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to transport the remaining passengers to their destination.
“The flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window detached during the flight. The aircraft landed normally and the passengers returned to the terminal,” the Irish carrier said in a statement.
Boeing confirmed it is aware of the incident and is in contact with Ryanair.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it is ready to assist Greek authorities and provide technical support to the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates aviation accidents.
The NTSB said North Macedonia, as the country where the incident occurred, will lead the investigation and determine the composition of the investigative team.
“The NTSB has appointed a US Accredited Representative, who along with technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration, The Boeing Company and General Electric Aerospace, are standing by to assist,” it said.
