Ryanair Window Emergency
Ryanair Passenger Partially Pulled From Window at 20,000ft After Engine Blade Fails Mid-Flight
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Key Points
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The aircraft reportedly flew for about 30 minutes more with a broken window before making an emergency landing in Thessaloniki.
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A passenger described that a portion of the engine struck the window and that the man’s head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window during the incident.
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Investigators have pointed to a broken fan blade inside the engine as the likely cause of the window failure.
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The flight diverted back to Thessaloniki after takeoff following the engine issue and window damage, with the captain returning to the airport as the problem developed.
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The model involved was a Boeing 737-800, according to reports describing the aircraft and incident details.
A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen nearly ended in catastrophe on July 10, 2026, when a broken engine fan blade sent debris into the cabin, shattering a window and partially sucking 61-year-old Serbian passenger Ljubiša Karović out of the aircraft at roughly 15,000 feet Sydney Morning Herald. His wife, Svetlana Grković, grabbed his legs and held on for five minutes. "If we die, we die together," she later told Serbian media The Age.
Karović was pulled back inside with help from two fellow passengers. The Boeing 737-800 diverted back to Thessaloniki, landing safely at 07:09 AM local time Brisbane Times. Karović is now hospitalized at AHEPA University General Hospital with friction burns, a severe neck wound, and shock. He is currently unable to speak Ynetnews.
A Fan Blade Failure Blew Out the Cabin Window
About eight minutes after takeoff, a fan blade inside the right CFM56-7B engine broke loose Sydney Morning Herald. Jet engines have containment rings built to trap broken blades inside the casing. This one failed. Metal debris flew outward and struck the fuselage, shattering both panes of a cabin window. The sudden pressure drop pulled Karović head-first through the opening up to his shoulders.
Passenger Christina described the chaos to local radio. "The masks dropped and there was a strong smell," she said. "The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt Ynetnews." Investigators from North Macedonia's accident committee are leading the probe, supported by the NTSB, FAA, EASA, Boeing, and CFM International.
Wife and Strangers Pulled Him Back From 15,000 Feet
Grković grabbed her husband's legs the moment he was sucked toward the window. She held him for five full minutes as freezing wind tore through the cabin WAToday. An Albanian man and an unnamed woman rushed over to help stabilize Karović. Together, they pulled him back inside as oxygen masks dangled around them.
"I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs," Grković told Serbian outlet Nova The Age. "It was horrible." Karović was wearing his seatbelt, which investigators say was critical in keeping him partially anchored. A pregnant passenger was also treated as a precaution after the ordeal. The flight carried the remaining passengers home on a replacement aircraft that departed nearly four hours later.
Ryanair's Muted Statement Clashes With Survivor Accounts
Ryanair's official response described the event as a window that "dislodged inflight" and said the aircraft "landed normally." The airline mentioned that "one passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground Brisbane Times." The statement made no mention of an engine failure, explosive decompression, or the fact that a man was hanging outside the plane.
Critics and aviation observers called the statement a severe understatement. Adding to questions about maintenance, the same aircraft — an 18-year-old Boeing 737-800 registered as 9H-QEU — had diverted back to Thessaloniki the night before, on July 9, during a separate flight to Sarajevo Sydney Morning Herald. Investigators are reviewing Malta Air's maintenance logs to determine whether warning signs were missed.
This Engine Has Killed Before — and Fixes Are Still Pending
The CFM56-7B engine was at the center of a near-identical disaster in April 2018. On Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, a fan blade broke loose, debris shattered a cabin window, and passenger Jennifer Riordan was partially sucked out. She died from her injuries WAToday. After that crash, the FAA ordered ultrasonic blade inspections and mandated a redesign of the engine inlet to prevent future debris breaches.
That redesign deadline is set for July 31, 2028 — still more than two years away. This new incident may pressure the FAA and EASA to move that deadline forward Sydney Morning Herald. The Karović family is expected to file civil lawsuits against Ryanair, Malta Air, and potentially CFM International for physical and psychological damages.
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