A routine flight from Greece to Germany turned into a midair nightmare Friday when a passenger was reportedly partially pulled through a shattered window thousands of feet above the ground.
The Malta Air Boeing 737, operated for Ryanair, had just taken off from Thessaloniki, Greece, and was headed to Memmingen, Germany, when the window failed shortly after departure.
The aircraft quickly depressurized, oxygen masks dropped and passengers were thrown into panic as the jet turned back toward Thessaloniki.
According to the BBC, the head and neck of a Serbian man sitting near the window were pulled through the opening before nearby passengers managed to yank him back inside.
The man was reportedly about 60 years old.
One passenger, identified as Christina, told Radio Thessaloniki that the cabin erupted in screams as the terrifying scene unfolded.
“We immediately realized there had been a decompression,” Christina said via BBC. “There were screams. … For a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door. The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”
The plane was able to divert back to Thessaloniki and land safely.
Ryanair said one passenger requested and received medical attention after the aircraft was back on the ground.
The airline also said a replacement aircraft was being arranged so passengers could continue on to Germany.
One passenger told reporters in Greece and Germany that they believed pieces from the plane’s engine may have broken off and struck the window, causing it to shatter.
Ryanair has not commented on that claim.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737, one of the most widely used commercial jets in the world.
The exact cause of the window failure remains under investigation.
The extent of the injured passenger’s condition has not been released.
The frightening incident immediately drew comparisons to past cases of sudden cabin decompression, when broken windows turned ordinary flights into life-or-death emergencies.
This time, the passenger’s seat belt and the quick actions of those around him may have prevented a tragedy.
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