Just like in 2018, a passenger was almost sucked out of a Boeing 737 window shuttered by a broken piece of engine during flight. His wife saved him...

July 10, 2026

Sources: Local Greek News, The Guardian, Reuters

A Ryanair passenger was reportedly nearly pulled out of a shattered window shortly after takeoff on a Boeing 737 flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, local media said. His wife managed to save him by grabbing him by the legs.

According to Greek reports cited by news outlets, an engine-related part broke off early in the flight and smashed an acrylic cabin window. The damage caused the cabin to depressurize, and the passenger was partially sucked toward the opening in mid-air.

The man—reported as Serbian and described as having been lifted from his seat into the slipstream—was said to have been prevented from being completely sucked out because his wife held onto him by the legs. Local coverage also said he was taken to hospital suffering from shock and injuries consistent with exposure to the cabin air loss event.

Ryanair said the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff after a passenger window dislodged inflight, and that the flight landed normally. The airline added that one passenger received medical assistance on the ground, and that a replacement aircraft was arranged to continue the journey to Memmingen.

Tracking data (FlightRadar24) showed the Boeing 737 diverted back to Thessaloniki shortly after departure.

PRECEDENT IN 2018

According to Reuters, unverified videos posted on social media from the inside of the plane showed a broken window and oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.

One of the Greek airport sources said that the aircraft is still on the ground in Thessaloniki and investigators are ​looking into the incident.

In 2018, a ​fan blade in the engine of ⁠a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG broke and caused a broken window that partially sucked out a passenger who was killed in the incident. At the time, the 43-year-old was the first person killed in a U.S. ​passenger airline accident since 2009.

After that incident, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board called on Boeing to redesign ​the fan cowl ⁠structure on 737 NG planes. There had been an engine failure on another Southwest 737 NG in 2016.

The incident prompted regulators to require airlines to inspect the fan blades on a more regular basis, essentially every nine to 12 months.