Wife of man sucked out of Ryanair jet window reveals battle to save him at 20,000ft. Svetlana Grković described how she hung onto her husband Ljubiša Karović's legs for about five minutes after his upper body was drawn through a shattered window on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
Ordeal Unfolds Shortly After Takeoff
The Boeing 737 experienced a loud bang when part of the engine fell off and broke the window shortly after takeoff. The force of decompression siphoned Mr Karović through the opening as he sat next to it. His wife managed to grab his legs, and other passengers helped pull the injured man back in after he lost consciousness.
Ms Grković told Serbian Nova outlet: 'The pressure pulled Ljubisa, luckily he was strapped in, but half of his body was sticking out of the plane. I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: If we die, we die together. It was horrible.'
Chaos and Heroic Assistance
She described chaos as oxygen masks fell due to the pressure drop. Some passengers rushed to help, including one man and one woman. 'That man helped me a lot,' she said, adding she would like to thank him in person. Mr Karović sustained serious injuries, including a badly burned hand, and remains hospitalized, unable to speak.
Ms Grković also noted the reaction of a mother sitting opposite, who hugged her child so tightly she thought she would suffocate him.
Emergency Landing and Passenger Accounts
The plane flew for another 30 minutes with the broken window before making an emergency landing in Thessaloniki, leaving passengers fearing they wouldn't make it, according to Greek broadcaster ERT. One passenger at the back said: 'We thought we were falling. We were wearing oxygen masks, we didn't know if we would make it.'
A Ryanair spokesperson told Metro: 'A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (July 10) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local this morning.'
Similar Incidents Highlight Risks
This incident echoes a recent Alaska Airlines flight where a man was nearly sucked out after a door plug blew out on a Boeing 737, saved by his seatbelt but losing his iPhone and socks.
