Ryanair passenger nearly sucked out of plane window during mid-flight incident

Consensus Summary

A 61-year-old man, Ljubisa Karović, was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair plane window during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff when an engine failure caused debris to shatter the acrylic window, leading to rapid cabin depressurization. Karović’s wife, Svetlana Grković, held onto his legs to prevent him from falling out entirely, with assistance from two other passengers. The plane descended sharply by 9,000ft (2,700m) before making an emergency landing back in Thessaloniki, where Karović was rushed to hospital with severe injuries, including burns and a badly injured hand. Ryanair confirmed the incident but stated the aircraft landed safely and passengers were returned to the terminal.

The mid-flight emergency was triggered by an uncontained engine failure, where fan blades or engine parts breached the casing and struck the window. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang followed by oxygen masks dropping and the plane losing altitude rapidly. The Guardian and THEAGE both describe the event as occurring on Friday, while ABC refers to it as happening 'last week' and 'on Saturday,' creating some confusion around the exact timing. The incident is being investigated by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUASA), with Ryanair cooperating fully.

Karović’s wife, Svetlana Grković (referred to as Svetlana Maksimovic in ABC), described the harrowing moment in interviews with local media, stating she thought, 'If we die, we die together' as she held onto her husband’s legs. She credited two unidentified passengers, including an Albanian man, for helping to pull her husband back into the cabin. The Guardian reports that Karović lost consciousness multiple times due to oxygen deprivation and shock, while ABC emphasizes the severity of his facial disfigurement and ongoing recovery struggles. Ryanair’s chief financial officer, Neil Sorahan, reassured travelers that the airline’s fleet remains safe and that no operational changes have been mandated by regulators.

While the core details of the incident align across sources, discrepancies arise in specific phrasing and minor details. The Guardian and THEAGE both specify the flight was operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air on a Boeing 737 NG, whereas ABC does not explicitly mention Malta Air. Additionally, THEAGE references a similar incident involving Southwest Airlines, where a fan blade failure led to a passenger fatality, prompting Boeing to redesign the 737 NG’s fan cowl structure. This context highlights the rarity and potential dangers of such engine failures. The Guardian also provides financial context, noting Ryanair’s recent profit decline due to rising fuel costs, though this is not directly linked to the incident.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, with the NTSB leading the probe and EUASA assisting. Ryanair has stated it is too early to discuss compensation for the couple, pending the investigation’s outcome. The airline has also faced criticism over the EU’s new digital entry-exit system (EES), which has caused delays at major European airports, though this is a separate issue. As the investigation progresses, further details about the engine failure and whether design or maintenance issues contributed may emerge. For now, the focus remains on Karović’s recovery and the broader implications for aviation safety.