Passenger Partially Sucked Out After Ryanair Plane Window Dislodges Mid-Flight In Greece

A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff on Friday after a passenger window became dislodged mid-air. According to two airport sources, one passenger was partially sucked through the broken window during the incident.

Ryanair confirmed that the aircraft turned back to Thessaloniki after “a passenger window dislodged inflight.” The airline said one person required medical assistance but did not provide further details about the injuries or the cause of the window failure.

Investigation underway as Boeing 737 NG returns to Thessaloniki

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 NG. Boeing did not immediately comment on the incident.

Local media in Greece reported that a piece of the aircraft’s engine broke off early in the flight and smashed a window, causing rapid cabin decompression. The two airport sources familiar with the matter shared the same details with Reuters. FlightRadar24 data also showed the Boeing 737 NG returning to Thessaloniki shortly after departure on Friday morning.

The same aircraft had also returned to Thessaloniki on Thursday evening while operating a flight to Sarajevo, again soon after takeoff. However, the reason for that diversion remains unclear.

FAA to assist probe as aircraft remains grounded

The FAA confirmed that a window broke on Friday’s flight and said it was ready to support the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the investigation.

Ryanair, which operates Boeing 737 NG aircraft powered by CFM International CFM56 engines, did not immediately respond to requests seeking more details about the aircraft or the engine involved. “The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal,” Ryanair said in its statement.

Incident draws comparisons with deadly 2018 Boeing accident

Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show the damaged window inside the cabin, with oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling. One airport source said the aircraft remains grounded in Thessaloniki while investigators examine what caused the incident.

The episode has drawn comparisons with a fatal 2018 accident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG. In that case, a fan blade in one of the aircraft’s engines broke off, shattering a window and partially sucking out a passenger, who later died. The 43-year-old became the first passenger killed in a U.S. airline accident since 2009.

Boeing asked to redesign fan cowl structure on the aircraft

Following that crash, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board urged Boeing to redesign the fan cowl structure on 737 NG aircraft. Regulators also ordered airlines to carry out more frequent inspections of CFM56 engine fan blades, typically every nine to 12 months.

The 2018 accident occurred about 20 minutes after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport when a fatigue crack caused a fan blade to fracture on a Boeing 737-700 powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B engines. CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France’s Safran, did not comment on Friday’s incident.

(with inputs from Reuters)

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