- A Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany faced cabin decompression after a window shattered at 20,000 feet
- An engine blade struck the window, causing a loud bang and oxygen masks to deploy inside the cabin
- The passenger was partially pulled through the broken window but was held by his wife for five minutes
A shocking new video has emerged showing the aftermath of a mid-air emergency on a Ryanair flight, where a 61-year-old passenger was partially pulled through a shattered cabin window at 20,000 feet, the New York Post reported. The incident occurred on Friday (July 10) aboard a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany.
About six minutes after takeoff, as the Boeing was climbing past 15,000 feet, passengers heard a deafening bang "like a tyre bursting". According to the report, an engine blade struck one of the plane's windows and smashed it. The sudden breach caused rapid cabin decompression. After that, oxygen masks were dropped, and a strong smell filled the cabin.
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A 61-year-old Serbian man seated next to the window was partially sucked out. "The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt," one passenger told Radio Thessaloniki.
His wife grabbed his legs and held on for about five minutes, preventing him from being pulled completely out of the aircraft. Fellow passengers then rushed to help pull him back inside.
"The man's wife stopped him from being yanked out of the Boeing 737 by gripping onto his legs for five minutes until bystanders rushed in to help," witnesses added.
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Footage shows damaged engine
Initial footage showed the inside of the plane, but another clip shows extensive damage to the engine's nacelle, or protective pod, with an engine blade missing. The clip then pans to the blown-out cabin window.
Watch the video here
The passenger was taken to the hospital with friction burns and neck and shoulder injuries, but was otherwise in good condition. Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, confirmed the details and said the man's upper body was pulled into the air before he was restrained.
"A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight," A Ryanair spokesperson told The Post. "The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki."
