In a harrowing incident that sounds straight out of a nightmare, a Serbian man was left seriously injured and in severe shock after being partially sucked out of a Ryanair aircraft mid-flight. US investigators have just released a preliminary report detailing the terrifying chain of events that unfolded last month.
How the Nightmare Unfolded
On July 10, a flight operated by Ryanair’s subsidiary, Malta Air, departed from Thessaloniki International Airport in Greece, headed for Memmingen Airport in Germany. Shortly after takeoff, disaster struck.
According to the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the right engine suffered a “fan-blade-out” (FBO) failure. Broken engine fragments violently struck the fuselage, completely shattering one of the cabin windows.
The sudden depressurization caused a passenger, identified as Serbian national Ljubisa Karović, to be violently pulled toward the breach. His head and right shoulder were sucked out of the plane’s window. In a desperate bid to save his life, his wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, alongside two other passengers, clung onto his legs for several minutes. She later recounted the traumatic ordeal to the BBC, reflecting on her horrifying realization at the time: “If we die, we die together.”
The Crew’s Timeline of Events
The NTSB, which was delegated the full investigation by Greek authorities, detailed the sequence of events as reported by the flight crew:
- Initial Alert: During the climb, the crew received a “high vibration” alert from the right engine.
- Preventative Action: They reduced engine power and performed a series of checks. Once the vibrations temporarily ceased, they continued climbing on autopilot.
- The Breach: Shortly after, the vibrations aggressively returned, followed by a loud bang.
- Emergency Declaration: Flight attendants noticed smoke, oxygen masks deployed, and panic ensued as passengers called for help regarding the shattered window. The crew immediately declared an emergency and initiated a rapid descent.
- Safe Landing: The pilots successfully returned the aircraft to Thessaloniki, executing a safe and uneventful landing.
Ongoing Investigation
The exact cause of the fan blade failure is still being determined. The NTSB report noted that the engine had successfully undergone thorough ultrasonic inspections just two months prior, in May, with zero faults found.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has publicly suggested that the catastrophic failure may have been the result of “foreign object damage” to the engine, though official investigations remain ongoing.
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