Passenger nearly sucked out of plane window due to engine failure on Ryanair flight

Consensus Summary

A passenger was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair Boeing 737 flight after a window dislodged shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, on Friday. The incident, which occurred on a flight to Memmingen, Germany, forced an emergency landing back in Thessaloniki. The passenger, a Serbian national, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized, while the plane experienced an uncontained engine failure that shattered the window and caused cabin depressurization. Videos and reports confirmed debris from the engine struck the window, sending oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling as the cabin lost pressure. The same aircraft had previously diverted back to Thessaloniki on Thursday evening during a separate flight to Sarajevo, though the reason for that diversion remains unclear.

The incident echoes a deadly 2018 Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG crash, where a passenger was partially sucked out of a broken window and died—the first US passenger airline fatality in nine years. Following that tragedy, aviation authorities demanded Boeing redesign the fan cowl structure on 737 NG planes to prevent similar failures. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a directive in 2023, requiring the redesign to be completed by July 2028. Boeing has since been assisting the investigation, which is being led by North Macedonia, as the incident occurred in its airspace. The airline uses CFM56 engines on its 737 NG fleet, though the manufacturer has not commented on the latest failure.

Key figures in the 2018 incident, including pilot Tammie Jo Shults, drew parallels between the two events, noting similarities in engine failure and external damage. Shults, who was praised for her calm demeanor during the Southwest Airlines emergency, remarked on the similarities, including the force of the air rushing out of the cabin. Meanwhile, the passenger involved in Friday’s incident was described differently across sources: the Guardian identified him as a 61-year-old Serbian man, while SMH and ABC referenced the 43-year-old victim from the 2018 crash, suggesting potential confusion in reporting. The passenger’s wife reportedly played a critical role in preventing him from being fully sucked out, though other accounts emphasize the efforts of fellow passengers.

While the core details of the incident align across sources, discrepancies emerge in specific descriptions. The Guardian highlights the passenger’s age as 61 and specifies his wife’s role in saving him, whereas SMH and ABC focus on the collective effort of passengers. Additionally, the Guardian notes the flight was operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air, while SMH and ABC describe it as a Ryanair flight with Malta Air involvement. Another notable divergence is the Guardian’s inclusion of a 2024 Alaska Airlines incident, where a cabin panel blowout injured passengers and revealed assembly errors, though this event is not mentioned in the other articles. The investigation into Friday’s incident remains ongoing, with authorities examining whether the engine failure was related to the unresolved design flaws identified after the 2018 tragedy.

As investigators work to determine the cause of the window failure, the incident has reignited concerns about aircraft safety, particularly regarding older Boeing 737 NG models. The FAA’s 2023 deadline for Boeing’s redesign looms in July 2028, raising questions about whether the latest failure could accelerate regulatory action. Ryanair has confirmed the aircraft landed safely and arranged a replacement flight for passengers, though the airline has not yet provided further details on the engine or the specific cause of the window dislodgment. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for the broader fleet of 737 NG planes still in service worldwide.