Serbian passenger Ljubiša Karović, 61, recalled the moment he was partially sucked out of a Ryanair plane after the window beside his seat shattered during a flight between Thessaloniki, Greece, and Memmingen, Germany, on July 10.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said a loud explosion was followed by a powerful rush of air that pulled part of his body outside the aircraft, causing him to lose consciousness.
The incident occurred after an engine component struck the window, causing a partial depressurization of the cabin. Karović, who was wearing his seat belt, suffered friction burns, bruises, and neck injuries, but survived thanks to the help of other passengers, who managed to pull him back inside the plane and improvised a barrier to limit the airflow entering the cabin.
“I am lucky. I do not remember much, and my head and neck still hurt, but I am still alive. I believe in God and thank Him every day,” Karović told The Guardian.
The passenger and his lawyer said first aid was provided mainly by other travelers and criticized the crew’s response during the emergency. “No [member] of the crew helped. It was the passengers,” said Svetlana, Karović’s wife.
“One man, I think he was Albanian, was incredible. He did everything he could to pull him [back inside] and then tried to block the window, first with a bag that was immediately sucked out and then with a suitcase, which worked. We will be forever grateful to him.”
Ryanair, meanwhile, said its cabin crew followed the required safety procedures, provided medical assistance on board, and seated Karović beside his wife after the situation had stabilized.
The aircraft returned safely to Thessaloniki Airport, while the investigation into the incident was taken over by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is seeking to determine the cause of the engine failure and the shattered window.
Engine debris shattered a cabin window on a Ryanair Greece–Germany flight, nearly pulling a 61-year-old passenger out. She suffered friction burns. pic.twitter.com/cGh1Wwmoq3
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