Ryanair-Air Malta Incident: Passenger Nearly Sucked Out After Mid-Air Window Blowout

Ekhbary News Agency | 2024-05-15

A passenger on a Ryanair-Air Malta flight narrowly avoided a catastrophic mid-air incident last week when a plane window blew out, partially sucking him outside the aircraft. The terrifying event occurred over North Macedonia as the Boeing 737-800 was en route from Thessaloniki, Greece, leaving the passenger with significant injuries.

Mid-Flight Drama and Swift Intervention

Ljubisa Karović, the passenger, was seated next to the window that dislodged at approximately 16,000 feet. The sudden decompression pulled his head and shoulders out of the plane's fuselage. His wife and fellow passengers reacted quickly, managing to pull him back inside, a heroic effort for what it's worth. Ryanair confirmed the flight "returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a passenger window dislodged inflight." Early reports, supported by passenger accounts and online footage showing a missing fan blade, suggest a failure in the right engine caused debris to strike and break the window.

Renewed Concerns Over Aviation Safety

This exceedingly rare occurrence rekindles serious questions about aviation safety standards, echoing similar past incidents. In 2018, a passenger died on a Southwest Airlines flight after being partially sucked from a broken window. More recently, in 2024, an entire door panel blew out of an Alaska Air Boeing 737-Max, though fortunately, adjacent seats were unoccupied. Experts emphasize the extreme rarity of such events but highlight the critical importance of rigorous inspections and maintenance for aircraft engines and structures. Dr. Jason Knight, a senior lecturer in fluid mechanics, explained that the maximum airflow speed is directly through the window itself, posing the greatest risk to unbelted individuals close enough to fit through the opening.