Experts reveal how a Ryanair flight passenger was nearly sucked out of window
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Shortly after take-off from Thessaloniki, Greece, a passenger on a Ryanair plane was almost dragged as a result of one of the windows breaking down. Experts explain how the glass could have cracked and broken.
Following the horrific ordeal, they are also urging advertisers to heed important warnings.
“Follow crew instructions,” Steve Arroyo, a Florida-based aviation safety expert and retired airline captain with 37 years of experience, told Fox News Digital.
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“It seems unnecessary, but always keep your seat belt fastened whenever you sit down,” he added.
Richard J. Levy, an aviation consultant, former American Airlines captain and Boeing 737 flight crew training instructor in Texas, told Fox News Digital that the loss of pressure occurred after part of the engine broke off and hit the window.
Ryanair has confirmed that a plane returned safely to Thessaloniki after a passenger window became dislodged during the journey. (iStock)
“With a cracked window and the pressure created by the cabin pressure on the glass, the glass cracked, broke – and then the extreme difference in air pressure from the cabin to the outside creates a strong suction,” the expert said.
“The person was then absorbed.”
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Rapid decompressions are “extremely rare events” on major airlines, Arroyo said, adding that commercial aviation is generally one of the safest modes of transportation today.
“It is mind-boggling that 4.4 billion passengers will fly on the world’s airlines in 2023, including 1.8 billion international passengers and 2.6 billion domestic passengers,” he said. “Still, there were zero accidents.”
A passenger was nearly pulled out on a Ryanair flight whose window failed shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece. (iStock)
But one expert told Fox News Digital that incidents like this “are not as rare as most travelers would like to think.”
William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the Washington, D.C.-based Project for American Economic Liberties and author of “Attention All Travelers,” blamed what he called “weak government oversight of aviation safety” that he said has worsened in recent years.
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“There’s still a lot we don’t know about what happened on that plane,” McGee said.
A Greek hospital official told The Associated Press that the 61-year-old passenger was being treated for neck and shoulder injuries as well as friction burns.
One expert said rapid decompressions were “extremely rare events” in major airlines. (iStock)
It was stated that the passenger was Serbian national Ljubisa Karović. Karović’s wife, Svetlana Grković, told Serbian broadcaster Nova that he “reacted immediately and grabbed her legs”.
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“I thought, ‘If we die, we die together,'” Grković said.
“They put a suitcase on the window, but it had been pulled out.”
According to the BBC, Grković told Greek channel ERT that her husband lost consciousness three times.
“The girl sitting next to him was holding his hand,” he said. “The three of us were pulling him in. The oxygen masks fell off and chaos ensued.”
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“They put a suitcase on the window, but it had been pulled out,” he added.
Following the reported window incident, the aircraft returned safely to Thessaloniki, where the injured passenger received medical care. (iStock)
A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital, stating that the passenger’s window “dislodged during the flight.”
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The official also said that the plane landed safely and the passengers returned to the terminal.
“A passenger requested medical assistance in Thessaloniki and received medical assistance on the ground,” the representative said.
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“To minimize any delays, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen and this aircraft departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local time. [Friday] Morning.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
