Passengers aboard Ryanair flight FR1879 experienced moments of sheer terror when, just minutes after takeoff from Thessaloniki, a serious incident unfolded that left a 61-year-old Serbian passenger severely injured.
Broken window on Ryanair flight departing Thessaloniki
The incident occurred on Friday, July 10, when a deafening bang was heard just minutes after takeoff and a cabin window suffered catastrophic damage. The sudden decompression caused the 61-year-old man seated next to the window to be violently pulled toward the opening, with his head and shoulders partially sucked outside the fuselage at approximately 20,000 feet. Thanks to the immediate intervention of his wife and fellow passengers, they managed to pull him back safely inside the aircraft.
The passenger who held on speaks out: “Part of his face looked like plasticine”
Passenger Ms. Kyranou, who helped pull Ljubiša Karović back inside, described how the man was found with half his body outside the aircraft, saying he felt “like rubber” as she, his wife, and other passengers desperately struggled to hold on to him. She recalled that most people on board believed they would not make it out of the plane alive, and a number of passengers are now considering legal action.
“Suddenly I heard an incredibly loud bang. A wave of air hit me. I turned my head to the right and saw the man with the upper right part of his body outside the window — only his left side was still inside. A portion of his face on the left side had been compressed — it looked like plasticine, because it had been pressed against the window,” Ms. Kyranou recounted.
Inside the cabin, there was “complete chaos” and “everyone believed we weren’t going to make it out alive. People were praying, crying, they were terrified.” “The pressure from outside was so powerful that I couldn’t manage on my own. I put every ounce of strength and body weight I had into pulling him back in. I couldn’t do it alone. That’s why I instantly screamed ‘help!’ I didn’t let go because I kept thinking he was going to be lost. Together, all of us working as one, we managed to get him back inside the plane,” she described.
She recalls repeatedly asking “whether he was alive” because “that was my only concern — whether I had actually managed to help.” According to Alpha TV, Ms. Kyranou sustained hand injuries, as well as hearing and breathing difficulties, in addition to psychological trauma. “It was like a nightmare… It was a tragedy… I hope no one ever has to go through something like that,” she concluded.
Passengers from the Ryanair flight are now pursuing legal action. “We will seek compensation on the civil side in American courts. We have already been in contact with a firm in New York that we will be working with,” said passengers’ attorney Mr. Markovitis. “Our primary goal is accountability for those responsible and ensuring that something like this never happens again,” added attorney Ms. Markoviti.
