Wife saves husband after engine debris shatters Ryanair plane window
A Serbian passenger was pulled partially through a shattered plane window following a mid-air engine failure. His wife and fellow travelers held him to safety during the terrifying emergency landing.
A Ryanair passenger was partially sucked out of a plane window during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, after engine debris shattered the cabin, according to multiple reports. The incident, which occurred on July 10, 2026, saw the husband of a Serbian couple, Ljubisa Karović, 61, dragged halfway out of the aircraft by explosive decompression. His wife, Svetlana Grković, clung to his legs as other passengers helped pull him back inside, preventing a potential fatality.
The Boeing 737-800, operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary Malta Air, was en route when a part of the right engine broke off, striking a window near Karović’s seat. Passengers reported hearing a loud explosion and experiencing extreme cabin pressure changes. Grković described the moment her husband was pulled toward the shattered window, with his head and shoulders outside the plane. “I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: ‘If we die, we die together,’” she told Serbian outlet Nova.
With the help of two other passengers, Grković and others managed to hold Karović’s legs for several minutes as the aircraft descended. Oxygen masks deployed, and some passengers feared the plane would crash. A technical adviser appointed by the family suggested the incident began with an engine failure, though investigators have not confirmed this. Ryanair stated the flight returned to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff when a window dislodged, landing safely with all passengers. One passenger, Karović, required medical assistance, while a pregnant woman on board was also hospitalized but later discharged.
Karović suffered severe friction burns, a badly injured hand, and was in a state of shock, according to his wife. He lost consciousness multiple times during the ordeal and remains in the hospital, unable to communicate fully. Passengers described the chaos, with one recalling the cabin “feeling like we couldn’t breathe” and another fearing the plane was “going down.” The aircraft, an 18-year-old plane, was later inspected, with footage showing damage to the engine nacelle and a missing fan blade.
Investigations are ongoing, involving the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority, as well as international bodies like the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The incident has reignited discussions about aircraft safety, particularly following a 2018 incident involving a similar engine failure on a Southwest Airlines flight. Ryanair arranged a replacement aircraft to transport passengers to Memmingen, minimizing delays.
Grković expressed gratitude to the passengers who aided her, particularly a man and woman who helped hold her husband’s legs. “I would like to meet him, to thank him personally again,” she said. The airline has not yet released a detailed cause for the engine failure, but the incident underscores the risks of aging aircraft and the critical role of passenger actions in emergency situations.
The event occurred over North Macedonia, with the plane’s pilot diverting back to Thessaloniki shortly after takeoff. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft descended 9,000ft within 10 minutes. While no fatalities were reported, the ordeal has raised concerns about maintenance protocols for older planes, particularly those operated by budget carriers. As the investigation continues, the focus remains on preventing similar incidents and ensuring the safety of air travelers.
