'If we die, we die together': Wife of man nearly sucked out of Ryanair plane speaks of ordeal
BBC News 2026-07-14 09:40:23
Context: A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece to Memmingen, Germany experienced a critical incident when a passenger window dislodged in flight, causing decompression in the cabin and nearly sucking a passenger out. The incident occurred on Friday morning, and the plane abruptly dropped 9,000ft before landing normally. The 61-year-old passenger who was nearly sucked out, Ljubisa Karović, is seriously injured and in shock.
Key Facts
- Svetlana Grković, the wife of Ljubisa Karović, held his legs as he was nearly sucked head-first out of the Ryanair cabin window, with half of his body sticking out of the plane for two minutes.
- Grković told Serbian outlet Nova that she thought "If we die, we die together" as she grabbed her husband's legs, and with the help of two other passengers, she was able to pull him back inside.
- The incident is believed to have started with a failure in the aircraft's right engine, causing debris to strike and shatter the cabin window, according to a technical adviser appointed by the family.
- Ljubisa Karović, who was traveling with his wife Svetlana Grković, lost consciousness three times during the ordeal and suffered serious injuries, including a badly injured hand and burns.
- The aircraft, an 18-year-old Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air, is being investigated by multiple international aviation authorities, including Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).