A Ryanair flight bound for Germany was forced to make an emergency return to Thessaloniki, Greece, on Friday morning after a terrifying mid-air incident. Shortly after takeoff, a window on the Doeing 737-800 became dislodged leading to rapid cabin decompression.
A narrow escape
Reports indicate that a piece of engine debris stuck and shattered the window creating a dangerous opening. According to eyewitness accounts, a 61-year-old passenger was partially sucked out of the cabin.
A fellow traveler described the harrowing experience, stating: “Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tyre bursting.” She further recalled, “The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
Passengers respond
As oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, chaos erupted in the cabin. The witness explained that panic spread quickly among the passengers.
“We immediately realized there had been a decompression. There were screams, for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” she noted. Nearby passengers acted quickly grabbing the man and pulling him back inside the aircraft.
Safe return to Thessaloniki
The flight crew declared an emergency and successfully navigated the plane back to Thessaloniki, landing safely about an hour after takeoff. The airline confirmed the incident, stating, “The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.”
The injured passenger, a Serbian tourist, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for friction burns and injuries to his neck and shoulders.
Investigation underway
While the airline has confirmed a window “dislodged” during the flight, it has not yet provided specific details regarding the cause. Investigators are now examining the aircraft to determine exactly what led to the mechanical failure. The remaining passengers were later provided with a replacement aircraft to continue their journey to Memmingen, Germany.
