A video circulating on social media shows the damaged engine blades of the Ryanair Boeing 737 NG that made an emergency landing in Greece on Friday after debris from the engine shattered a passenger window.
The incident caused rapid cabin decompression, while the passenger in the window seat was nearly sucked out. Fortunately, his wife and the seatbelt saved him.
He did not suffer life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital after the aircraft landed safely. No other injuries were reported.
Soon after the strike, the oxygen masks dropped, and passengers could be seen using them, highlighting the scary atmosphere inside the aircraft.
Videos of the incident have since gone viral, prompting questions about how debris from the engine was able to strike the passenger window and raising broader concerns about aviation safety.
Passengers Heard an Explosion Inside the Cabin
The BBC reported that passengers on board the Ryanair airplane heard an explosion when the incident occurred. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft began descending shortly after takeoff. The flight was traveling from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Germany’s Memmingen.
About 10 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suddenly descended 9,000 feet (2,700 meters). The shattered window left a hole in the fuselage, and a 61-year-old Serbian national was almost sucked out through the opening.
His face and shoulders were reportedly exposed. His brave wife did not let go of him, which saved his life. He was taken to a Greek hospital for treatment of friction burns. Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, said:
“His wife held onto his legs for around five minutes to stop him from being sucked out.”
Ryanair said in a statement that the incident occurred “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight”.
“The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.”
Several hours later, “a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen,” it added.
The aircraft, reportedly 18 years old, was operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air.
Reuters reported that a piece of the engine broke off and smashed the window during the flight, causing the cabin to decompress. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the plane was a Boeing 737 NG.
This footage shared on Instagram shows the aftermath of the incident inside the cabin. Oxygen masks can be seen hanging, and the broken window is clearly visible.
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Another clip shows the damaged engine, with several fan blades missing, suggesting the incident could have led to a worse outcome.
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Eyewitnesses Onboard Ryanair Reveal Scary Ordeal
Passengers who experienced the flight scare will likely never forget this incident. Christina, a fellow passenger, gave her account of the event to Radio Thessaloniki, as quoted by the BBC:
“We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams… for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door.
“The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
Another passenger, Sofia, said:
“When the oxygen masks dropped, we had no idea what was going to happen. We didn’t know whether we would make it back. We were sitting at the back of the aircraft, and we realised there had been some kind of explosion.
“We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn’t breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock.”
Giannakos revealed that the 61-year-old man is conscious but remains in shock.