A passenger on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, survived after a cabin window near his seat detached during the flight on 10 July.
The passenger, Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was seated next to the window when the incident happened. His wife, Svetlana Grković, said his head and right arm were pulled outside the aircraft while she held onto his legs. A nearby passenger grabbed his left arm, and another passenger helped pull him back into the cabin as the pilots began descending the aircraft.
Greek media and airport sources reported that the incident is believed to have been caused by engine debris striking the window, leading to a sudden loss of cabin pressure.
Grković said she left her seat to help her husband and fitted an oxygen mask on him, while another passenger gave her an oxygen mask. Karovic suffered serious injuries to his face, head, neck and arm, including injuries to his ear, eye and nose, and is receiving treatment at a hospital in Thessaloniki.
The couple have appointed lawyer Vassilis Tsiaras, who described the incident as very serious and said the outcome of the official investigation would determine their next legal steps.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft remained airborne for about 10 minutes before descending approximately 9,000 feet (2,700 metres).
Ryanair said the flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off after one of the passenger windows detached in flight. The aircraft landed safely, all passengers were taken back to the terminal, and one passenger received medical assistance on the ground.
Boeing said it is cooperating with an investigation led by authorities in North Macedonia, whose airspace the aircraft was flying through when the incident occurred. The investigation also involves the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Greek air accident investigators and Greek prosecutors.
Greek authorities described the incident as rare in the aviation industry. The 18-year-old aircraft, operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, remains in Greece for further inspection and investigation.
