Ryanair Flight Returns After Engine Debris Shatters Window, Partially Sucking Out 61-Year-Old Passenger
Updated
Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 10
Ryanair Flight Returns After Engine Debris Shatters Window, Partially Sucking Out 61-Year-Old Passenger
3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 10
Summary
A 61-year-old passenger was hospitalized in intensive care after a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Germany suffered a shattered window shortly after takeoff, leaving him partially pulled outside the aircraft.
Greek aviation officials told ABC News an engine failure sent debris into the fuselage, breaking the window; passengers reported a loud bang, dropped oxygen masks and a rapid descent.
The Boeing 737-800 climbed above 15,000 feet about six minutes after departure, then descended to roughly 6,000 feet before returning to Thessaloniki around an hour after takeoff.
Ryanair said the plane landed normally and a replacement aircraft later took passengers to Germany, while officials work to determine details including whether the injured man was wearing a seatbelt.
The case echoes a 2018 Southwest engine failure that shattered a window and killed a passenger, an accident that led to inspections and Boeing engine-panel redesigns.