Ryanair horror flight: Two days after a dramatic incident in which a passenger was partially sucked out of a shattered window during a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany, new details are beginning to emerge about what happened.
The incident forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing. Investigators now suspect that part of the plane's engine broke off, struck the window with force and shattered it.
The incident occurred Friday shortly after the flight took off from Thessaloniki for Memmingen, Germany. At an altitude of about 20,000 feet, a loud explosion was heard, one of the aircraft's windows shattered, the cabin lost pressure and the oxygen masks were deployed. The plane returned to Thessaloniki after "a passenger window became dislodged during the flight," Ryanair said in a statement. It remains officially unclear what caused the window to break.
"We thought we were going down"
The passenger seated next to the window was sucked out of the aircraft up to his shoulders. According to fellow passengers, he was wearing his seat belt, which helped save his life, while his wife and other passengers held onto him and pulled him back into the cabin.
One passenger, who was seated toward the rear of the plane, told the Daily Mail: "We thought we were going down. We put on the oxygen masks and did not know whether we were going to make it." He said the passenger seated next to the window "was bleeding from the head and lost consciousness several times."
Two sources familiar with the details of the incident told Reuters that part of the engine broke off during the flight and struck the window. The news agency also reported that videos posted on social media appeared to show an "uncontained engine failure," in which internal components penetrate the engine casing and send debris flying outward. However, no official findings have yet been released, and the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.
Data from FlightRadar24 and a Reuters report also indicated that the same aircraft returned to Thessaloniki the previous evening, Thursday, shortly after taking off for Sarajevo. It remains unclear why the plane returned on that occasion, and it is not known whether there is any connection between the two incidents.
BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.
According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026
The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 NG, the model that preceded the current 737 MAX generation. The FAA said it was prepared to assist with the investigation and support the Greek Civil Aviation Authority and the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Boeing also said it was assisting with the investigation, which is being led by North Macedonia because the incident occurred in its airspace, and that it was in contact with Ryanair. All of Ryanair's Boeing 737 NG aircraft use CFM56 engines manufactured by the CFM International consortium.
Passenger in stable condition
The Serbian Consulate in Greece said the passenger, a Serbian citizen, was taken to AHEPA University General Hospital in Thessaloniki. According to the consulate, his life was not in danger, and doctors were assessing the severity of his injuries. Earlier reports said he had suffered a neck injury, as well as abrasions and burns, but was conscious and in stable condition.
After the aircraft landed safely in Thessaloniki, the passengers were returned to the terminal. The Irish airline later said a replacement aircraft had been provided to take the remaining passengers to Memmingen. Reuters noted that a similar incident occurred in 2018 aboard a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG, when an engine blade broke off, shattered a window and partially sucked out a passenger seated next to it. The passenger was killed.
The 43-year-old woman was the first person to die in an accident involving a US commercial airline since 2009. Following that incident, the National Transportation Safety Board called on Boeing to redesign the engine casing and fan cowl.
Another Southwest-operated Boeing 737 NG also suffered an engine failure in 2016. In 2023, the FAA ordered the casing redesign to be completed by July 2028. The 2018 disaster also prompted regulators to require airlines to conduct more frequent engine blade inspections, effectively every nine to 12 months.
