Passengers helped a husband recover after his body was half outside a Ryanair plane during a mid‑air engine failure.
The incident occurred on a flight that left Thessaloniki for Memmingen, as the aircraft underwent a sudden 9,000‑foot drop. Witnesses say a burst engine sent a fragment through a side window, creating an emergency decompression that left the man’s head and shoulders protruding.
His wife, Svetlana Grković, grabbed his legs and, with the aid of two other passengers, pulled him back inside while he lost consciousness three times. She remarked that she was terrified but felt she and her husband would die together if they didn’t escape.
Investigators suspect the right‑side engine failed, shattering the cabin window before the rapid pressure loss. The aircraft, a Boeing 737‑800, was operated by Ryanair’s Malta Air subsidiary.
Ryaanair said the flight returned to Thessaloniki after the window dislodged and that one passenger received medical assistance on the ground. The man remained in a hospital for a week, with ongoing reports of serious injuries, including burns and a badly damaged hand.
Greek authorities have opened a formal investigation and have called in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and Boeing to examine the incident. The international coalition will determine whether mechanical failure, maintenance issues, or other factors caused the emergency.
Images and video from the flight show the aircraft’s interior after the window broke, revealing the sheer chaos passengers endured.
