Passenger Nearly Sucked Out of Ryanair Plane Through Shattered Window — New Footage Emerges

New footage has surfaced of a dramatic mid-air incident aboard a Ryanair flight, FR1879, traveling from Thessaloniki to Memmingen. According to investigators, a fan blade broke off from one of the engines during the flight, and the debris struck a window, causing a sudden loss of cabin pressure that began pulling a 61-year-old Serbian passenger, Ljubiša Karović, seated at 11F, through the shattered opening.

The footage, aired on Australia's 60 Minutes program, shows terrified passengers silently clutching their oxygen masks as debris flies through the cabin and wind howls around them. Several passengers can be seen scrambling to help Karović, whose head and shoulders had been forced outside the broken window.

Two Minutes That Felt Like a Fight for Life

Witnesses said a loud bang was heard first, followed by the automatic deployment of oxygen masks. The sudden pressure drop hit Karović hardest — he was being pulled bodily toward the opening. His wife managed to grab hold of him, and other passengers quickly rushed to assist.

The struggle to keep Karović in his seat and pull him back inside the cabin lasted nearly two minutes. The plane made an emergency landing roughly 20 minutes later.

"I did everything I could to save a human life. But it still haunts me," said 33-year-old Eleni Kiranova, one of the passengers who held on to Karović.

The Victim's Recovery and the Cause of the Incident

After landing, Karović was taken to hospital — he survived the ordeal. "All I remember is hearing an explosion. I was flying to see my brother; the whole family had gathered to surprise him for his 60th birthday. I fell asleep quickly, like I usually do on planes. Then there was this deafening blast that terrified me," he told the Daily Mail two weeks after the incident.

The 61-year-old passenger suffered severe pain in his neck and shoulders and had to wear a neck brace for six weeks. He was also treated for burns to his face and hands, caused by the powerful wind that lashed the upper part of his body.

A subsequent investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the blades of the right engine had been inspected in May 2026 and again in November 2025, with no damage detected either time. However, the NTSB report noted that bird remains were found inside the engine, suggesting the aircraft may have struck birds shortly after takeoff.

Source: novinky.cz