Window breaks on Ryanair flight: passengers drag man back inside

©Gabriele Proietti Mattia via Unsplash

Terrifying scenes unfolded on Friday morning aboard a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany. Shortly after takeoff, a passenger window came loose, causing a 61-year-old man to be partially sucked out. Fellow passengers managed to pull him back inside at the last minute.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, took off from Thessaloniki at 5:55 a.m. local time. A few minutes later, at an altitude of approximately 6,000 meters, witnesses reported hearing a loud bang. The cabin immediately went into emergency mode. The oxygen masks dropped, and the pilots decided to turn back. Ryanair confirmed that the plane landed safely in Thessaloniki.

According to eyewitnesses, the man was sitting next to the damaged window when the incident occurred. His wife grabbed him by the legs and held him in place for several minutes, while other passengers rushed to help. “His head and shoulders were sticking out of the window,” a passenger told Greek media. According to local reports, the incident occurred after a part of an engine had come loose and struck the window. The 61-year-old Serbian man sustained neck injuries as well as abrasions and burns. After landing, he was taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki for examination in a state of shock. A pregnant passenger was also taken to the hospital as a precaution but was later allowed to leave.

To minimize the delay, Ryanair deployed a replacement aircraft, which departed for Memmingen later that morning. The incident underscores how quickly a technical malfunction at high altitude can lead to a life-threatening situation.

©Gabriele Proietti Mattia via Unsplash - illustrative image