In brief
Passage on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen experienced sudden decompression when a cabin window dislodged, forcing a passenger’s head and shoulders out of the airframe. The man’s wife, Svetlana Grković, recounts grabbing his legs and fighting for several minutes to keep his upper body inside. Witnesses report an explosion‑like sound and the aircraft dropping 9,000 feet before returning to Thessaloniki. Authorities are investigating, with Boeing, FAA, and EASA involved, while the injured 61‑year‑old remains hospitalized. The incident highlights the ongoing safety concerns in commercial aviation and the critical role of rapid crew and passenger response in emergencies.
If we die, we die together
On Friday morning, a Ryanair flight from Greece's Thessaloniki to Germany's Memmingen lost cabin pressure after a window dislodged, causing the aircraft to drop nearly 9,000 ft before returning to Thessaloniki. The incident left a 61‑year‑old passenger, Ljubisa Karović, with part of his body hanging out of the plane and a wife who described a frantic effort to keep him inside.
Svetlana Grković, his wife, told a Serbian outlet: "I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.'" Grković, who reported that her husband lost consciousness three times, managed to pull him back aboard with two other passengers. The wife also noted that part of the engine had seemed to break off, shattering the window and triggering a rapid decompression. ”
Passengers reported hearing an explosion‑like sound and feeling the sudden lack of oxygen. A technical adviser, who has worked with the family, suggests that a failure in the right engine caused debris that struck and shattered the cabin window.
The Ryanair statement confirmed that the plane returned "shortly after take‑off" and that passengers landed safely, though one passenger required medical attention. The aircraft was an 18‑year‑old Boeing 737‑800 operated by Malta Air. Thessaloniki airport’s operator, Fraport Greece, said the incident is under investigation by the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority.
International authorities, including the FAA and EASA, are assisting the investigation. The injured passenger remains in hospital, and investigators continue to probe the causes of the window‑displacement event and the subsequent cabin pressure loss.
