A Ryanair passenger who was nearly sucked through a broken cabin window and had to be held down by his wife has been pictured for the first time. Ljubiša Karović, 61, from Serbia, was on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday morning when a mechanical failure led to a terrifying incident at 20,000 feet.
Incident Details
The flight departed Thessaloniki at 5:55 a.m. local time. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot detected an engine malfunction while the aircraft was flying over North Macedonia and decided to return to Thessaloniki. During the descent, a damaged section of the engine reportedly broke off and struck a cabin window, causing it to fail. The sudden loss of cabin pressure partially pulled Karović out of his seat.
His wife, Svetlana Grković, held onto his legs for five full minutes until other passengers rushed to help and managed to pull him back into the cabin, according to a fellow passenger who spoke to Informer. Karović also had his seatbelt buckled, which prevented him from being completely ejected.
Passenger Ordeal
Witnesses reported that the captain repeatedly shouted “emergency” after the window smashed, and oxygen masks deployed. Karović is understood to have had his head and shoulders dragged out of the plane. Other passengers said he was bleeding and lost consciousness several times due to shock and lack of oxygen at that altitude.
Official Statement
A Ryanair spokesperson stated: “A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) 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.”
