The wife of a passenger who was partially pulled out of a Ryanair plane window after it failed mid-flight has shared the terrifying moments she fought to keep him alive.
The frightening incident happened aboard a Ryanair flight traveling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany. Shortly after takeoff, a window reportedly became dislodged, causing a sudden loss of cabin pressure and forcing the aircraft to turn back and land safely in Thessaloniki.
The passenger has since been identified as 61-year-old Serbian national Ljubiša Karović. According to his wife, Svetlana Grković, he survived because he remained strapped into his seat while she desperately held onto his legs to stop him from being pulled farther out of the aircraft.
His wife fought to save his life
Recalling the terrifying ordeal to Serbian-language outlet Nova, Svetlana said the decompression happened the moment the window gave way.
“As the window broke, decompression occurred in the cabin. The pressure pulled Ljubisa, luckily he was strapped in, but half of his body was sticking out of the plane,” she said, according to LADbible. “I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: ‘If we die, we die together’. It was horrible.”
After the aircraft landed, paramedics were already waiting on the ground. Ljubiša was taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki, where he remains hospitalized.
Svetlana said her husband suffered friction burns, a serious hand injury, and remains unable to speak following the incident.
“He’s seriously injured and in shock. His hand is particularly badly injured, and he’s got burns. He’s not able to communicate, he doesn’t remember the whole event,” she explained, adding that her husband likely lost consciousness “several times” during the ordeal.
She also credited fellow passengers with helping save his life, saying several people rushed over to assist during the emergency.
One passenger, in particular, made a lasting impression.
“That man helped me a lot, Ljubiša and I. I would like to meet him, to thank him personally again.”
“It was as if a part of the engine broke off”
Svetlana also shared what she believes could have caused the incident. According to her account, it appeared that part of the aircraft’s engine broke off and struck the window next to her husband’s seat.
“It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window where my husband Ljubiša was sitting,” she said.
Video that later surfaced appears to support that theory. The footage shows one of the aircraft’s engine blades missing, while several others appear bent or damaged. The metal lining inside the engine also appears dented and torn.
In a statement provided to LADbible, Ryanair confirmed the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki after a passenger window became dislodged during the flight.
“A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight.
“The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.
“In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local this morning.”
READ MORE
- Nolan Wells’ friend finally breaks silence on ‘what really happened’ in troubling video
- Mom of 16 ‘feral’ children rescued from Ohio ‘house of horrors’ makes desperate request from jail
