Passenger partially sucked out of window on budget flight to Germany

A passenger on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany was partially sucked out of a dislodged window shortly after takeoff, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing. The budget airline confirmed the plane returned to Thessaloniki after a window "dislodged in-flight."

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a passenger window dislodged in-flight

The Serbian national, who was partially outside the aircraft, was hospitalized but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, according to the Serbian consulate. Witnesses told local media that the man's head and shoulders were outside the plane before other passengers pulled him back inside.

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The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the plane was a Boeing 737 NG, the version before the current MAX generation of 737 planes.

While the exact cause remains unclear, local media reported that a piece of the engine may have broken off and struck a window, causing cabin decompression. Video circulating on social media appeared to show an engine failure on the damaged Boeing 737 NG. The same aircraft had diverted back to Thessaloniki the previous evening for an unknown reason, according to flight data.

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We remain in contact with ⁠and continue to support our customer, Ryanair.

This incident echoes a similar event in 2018 on another Boeing 737 NG, where a broken engine fan blade led to a dislodged window and a passenger fatality. Following that incident, aviation authorities called for redesigns of the fan cowl structure on 737 NG planes.

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The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.