July 14, 2026, 10:11July 14, 2026, 10:11
Four days after the dramatic incident on board a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, the wife of a seriously injured passenger describes the incident from her perspective for the first time. Her husband is still in hospital and suffering from serious injuries and the psychological consequences of the event, she told Greek public broadcaster ERT.
“My husband was sitting right by the window. “Luckily he was wearing a seat belt – the seat belt saved his life,” she said. She and other passengers were able to pull her 61-year-old husband back onto the plane. He suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. He is wearing a neck brace and, according to his wife, is still in shock.
The passenger was temporarily pulled out through this broken window.screenshot x
According to the technical expert hired by the family, a component of one of the turbines is said to have come loose. The debris hit and destroyed the window. The sudden difference in pressure created a strong suction effect, which temporarily caused the passenger’s upper body to be pulled out of the aircraft. The Greek traffic safety board and the family’s technical expert are now subjecting the aircraft to an inspection, ERT reported.
Aviation expert and pilot Grigoris Konstantelos had previously expressed a similar assumption on Greek television (ERT). He assumes that the passengers were very lucky: at a higher altitude, the higher pressure difference could have led to a significantly more severe, possibly explosive pressure loss. Unconfirmed photos of the presumably damaged turbine are circulating in the Greek media.
Shortly after the incident, passengers said a loud bang was heard and oxygen masks fell from the cabin ceiling. The pilot aborted the flight and returned to Thessaloniki. The passengers were later flown to Memmingen on a replacement plane.
Ryanair confirmed the incident. According to the airline, a passenger window came loose shortly after takeoff. Ryanair did not comment on the causes. (hkl/sda/dpa)