Window Suddenly Blows Out Mid-Flight... Wife Saves Husband as Head and Shoulder Are Sucked Outside

Wife Holds Husband for Five Minutes as Nearby Passengers Assist Rescue
Ryanair Plane Returns After Incident; One Passenger Receives Medical Treatment

An alarming incident occurred when a window suddenly detached from a passenger plane in flight, causing the head and shoulder of a passenger seated by the window to be sucked outside the aircraft. Thanks to the quick actions of the passenger's wife and those seated nearby, who held onto him, a more serious accident was narrowly avoided.

Interior view of a passenger plane with a broken cabin window in flight. Photo by New York Post

According to the UK daily The Sun on July 10 (local time), a cabin window detached in midair from a Ryanair passenger plane traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

The aircraft departed Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport at approximately 5:55 a.m. that day. While flying at an altitude of about 20,000 feet (approximately 6,100 meters), a loud bang was heard, a window broke, and cabin depressurization occurred, causing oxygen masks to deploy.

A 61-year-old Serbian man was seated next to the broken window. Witnesses said that at the moment of the accident, the man’s head and shoulder were outside the window.

The man's wife held him tightly for about five minutes. Other passengers joined in to pull him back into the cabin, and onboard medical professionals assisted in the rescue. It was reported that the man had not unfastened his seatbelt at the time.

One passenger told a local radio station, "It sounded like a tire bursting," adding, "Screams and shouts erupted inside the cabin, and everyone put on their oxygen masks."

Local media raised the possibility that debris from the aircraft’s engine may have damaged several windows. However, the exact cause of the engine problem and how the debris became detached has not been officially confirmed.

A Ryanair spokesperson stated, "A passenger window detached in midair on a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, causing the plane to return to the airport shortly after takeoff. The aircraft landed safely, and passengers returned to the terminal." The spokesperson added, "One passenger requested and received medical assistance at Thessaloniki Airport."

The plane returned to Thessaloniki Airport approximately 1 hour and 14 minutes after departure. To minimize delays, Ryanair deployed a replacement aircraft, which departed for Memmingen at around 9:53 a.m. that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.