During a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday, July 10, 2026, a catastrophic engine failure led to a passenger being partially sucked out of a cabin window at approximately 20,000 feet. Ljubisa Karovic, 61, from Serbia, was traveling with his wife Svetlana Grkovic when disaster struck.
Mid-Air Emergency Unfolds
The flight departed Thessaloniki at 5:55 AM local time. Shortly after takeoff, while the aircraft was above North Macedonia, the pilot identified an engine problem and decided to return to Thessaloniki. During the descent, a section of the damaged engine detached and struck the window beside Karovic, causing a rapid decompression that pulled him partially out of the aircraft.
Grkovic immediately grabbed her husband's legs. She told Nova: "I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible." Another passenger assisted in pulling Karovic back inside.
Injuries and Aftermath
Karovic sustained friction burns, a severely injured hand, and several other burns. He remains in hospital, unable to speak due to his injuries, and lost consciousness multiple times during the incident. He recalls very little of what happened.
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."
Investigation Ongoing
The incident is under investigation. Grkovic expressed gratitude to the fellow passenger who helped save her husband's life.
