Ryanair Flight From Thessaloniki Returns After Boeing 737-800 Window Dislodges, Passenger Partly Sucked Out

A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff on Friday after a passenger window dislodged inflight.

“Passenger window on Ryanair flight dislodges, partially sucking out passenger The passenger is currently in the hospital, according to a doctor”

ABC News

NBC News reported that a 61-year-old passenger was partially sucked out of a dislodged window and was pulled back inside by fellow passengers, suffering neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.

ABC News

Ryanair said the flight “returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take off when a passenger window dislodged in-flight,” and passengers described hearing a loud bang and oxygen masks dropping as the plane began to lose altitude.

The incident involved a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, with flight tracking data showing the aircraft climbed past 15,000 feet (4,570 meters) and then descended to about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters) before returning about an hour after taking off, according to Flightradar24.

Greek media accounts described the passenger as a 61-year-old tourist from Serbia who was treated for friction burns and shock but was otherwise in good condition, after fellow passengers held him in his seat amid the decompression.

ABC News said a doctor treated the 61-year-old male passenger on the tarmac once the plane safely landed, and reported that his wife was holding his feet to stop him from being completely sucked out of the aircraft.

Air Journal

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was notified that the flight turned back because of “a right engine issue and cabin decompression,” and it said the investigation would be led by the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Committee of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Euronews reported that authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the engine failure, saying a fragment from the engine struck and shattered a passenger window, injuring the person seated nearby, while oxygen masks were deployed and four passengers were taken to hospital as a precaution.

The incident triggered aviation-safety involvement across Europe, with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency telling CBS News it was aware of the incident and would support the investigation while coordinating with the FAA as state of design.

“- Published A man was nearly sucked head-first out of a cabin window in mid-air on a Ryanair plane, passengers have said”

BBC

CBS News reported that the FAA said it “stands ready” to support local authorities and the NTSB in the investigation, and confirmed the passenger jet was a U.S.-made Boeing aircraft.

Ryanair said the aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal, and it arranged a replacement aircraft to bring passengers to Memmingen, with the replacement departing Thessaloniki at 9:53 local time, according to ABC News and Euronews.

As the aircraft remained under investigation after the forced return, the NTSB said it would determine the composition of the investigative team and any international participation under the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13, with the Republic of North Macedonia listed as the country of occurrence.