Ryanair passenger pulled half out of window after engine debris shatters glass at 9,000 feet

The mid-air decompression

Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, was airborne for about 10 minutes on the morning of 10 July when a loud bang ripped through the cabin. Tracking data shows the Boeing 737-800, operated by Malta Air, abruptly descended 9,000 feet (2,700 metres). Passengers told local media they heard "some kind of explosion," and oxygen masks dropped as the cabin decompressed. A window beside seat 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic dislodged, and the pressure differential pulled him out of the aircraft up to his chest.

I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: if we die, we die together.

His wife, Svetlana Grkovic, was seated behind him and lunged for his legs. A young woman sitting next to Karovic grabbed his arm. For roughly two minutes, half his body hung outside the plane while the two women and a third passenger, described as an Albanian man, held on. Karovic lost consciousness three times during the ordeal. Passengers tried to block the shattered window with a suitcase, but it was sucked out immediately.

The cause under investigation

A technical consultant hired by the family told Greek public broadcaster ERT that the incident likely began with a failure in the right engine. The consultant, Christos Glavopoulos, said a fragment of an engine blade probably broke off and struck the cabin window, shattering it before rapid decompression. He pointed to two possible causes: a failure of the T12 temperature sensor, located where internal casing fracture is visible, or blade rupture from material fatigue or an internal flaw. Greek media and airport sources have reported the same engine-debris theory. Investigators have not yet confirmed any version. The Hellenic Air Accident and Railway Safety Investigation Authority is leading the probe, with involvement from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. A Greek prosecutor has also opened an inquiry. The aircraft remains in Thessaloniki.

The victim's condition

Karovic is being treated at a hospital in Thessaloniki for severe neck and arm injuries, friction burns, and shock. Grkovic told ERT that his hand is particularly badly injured, he cannot communicate, and he remembers almost nothing of the event. "Whenever he hears about planes, he starts to tremble," she said. She described her own psychological state as very poor, adding that she feared the plane would crash. A Greek hospital official confirmed treating a 61-year-old Serbian national for friction burns.

His face was completely disfigured, there was blood everywhere and his ears, eyes, nose were completely deformed.

The airline response

Ryanair confirmed in a statement that the flight returned "shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight." The airline said the aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal, with one passenger requesting and receiving medical assistance on the ground. Ryanair declined further comment while the formal investigation is underway. Grkovic has criticised the crew, telling Serbian outlet Nova.rs that no crew members assisted during the incident and that fellow passengers provided water. She said no one from the airline has contacted the family. The couple have hired lawyer Vassilis Tsiaras, who called the event "extremely serious" and said the pending investigation results are pivotal.

What happens next

Multiple investigative bodies are now examining the aircraft and engine components in Thessaloniki. The family's technical consultant expects the probe to focus on the right engine's turbine blades and the T12 sensor. No timeline for findings has been announced. Karovic remains hospitalised with no discharge date reported.