Svetlana Grkovic, 61, saved her husband Ljubisa Karovic, 61, after he was partially dragged through a Ryanair aircraft window at 20,000ft. The incident occurred on Friday, July 10, during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
Mid-Air Emergency
The couple were returning from a summer holiday in Greece when the aircraft encountered engine trouble shortly after departing at 5.55am local time. The pilot identified a problem with the engine while flying over North Macedonia and decided to return to Thessaloniki. As the plane descended, a section of the failing engine detached and struck the cabin window beside Mr Karovic, causing him to be partly sucked out due to cabin pressure differences.
Ms Grkovic told Nova: "It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband Ljubisa was sitting. I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible."
Passenger Assistance
Ms Grkovic expressed gratitude to another passenger who helped rescue her husband during the ordeal. Mr Karovic remains hospitalized with friction burns, a severely injured hand, and other burns. He is unable to speak due to his injuries and has limited memory of the event, having lost consciousness multiple times.
Ryanair Statement
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "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."
