Man partially sucked out of broken Ryanair plane window during flight, fellow passenger says
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- A passenger on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen was nearly sucked out of a window that detached midair, but fellow travelers pulled him back inside; he sustained friction burns and was hospitalized in stable condition.
- The incident occurred over North Macedonia when debris from one of the plane's engines broke the window, causing rapid decompression and oxygen masks to deploy.
- Passengers described a loud noise similar to a tire bursting, followed by screams and a strong smell inside the cabin; the man was saved partly because he was wearing his seatbelt.
- Ryanair confirmed the flight returned safely to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff, and a replacement aircraft transported the remaining passengers to their destination.
- This rare event echoes a fatal 2018 U.S. incident where a passenger was sucked out of a plane window, highlighting the dangers of decompression when seatbelts are not fastened.
