A man was reportedly nearly sucked through an airplane window Friday morning. Four people were injured. File Photo by Stringer/EPA
July 10 (UPI) — A man was nearly sucked out the window of a plane on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany on Friday, passengers said.
Not long after takeoff from Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, on Flight FR1879 operated by subsidiary Malta Air, a piece of an engine came off and hit a passenger window, shattering it. A 61-year-old Serbian man was lifted out of his seat and hung headfirst out of the window, and was kept from flying out by his wife, who held his legs, The Guardian reported.
Oxygen masks were deployed on the Boeing 737-800 as a precaution.
Data from FlightRadar24 shows the flight was airborne for just over an hour and reached 16,000 feet before descending back to Thessaloniki airport.
FlightRadar24 posted on Instagram that the passenger hit his head.
“According to reports, the passenger seated next to the affected window was pulled towards it and hit their head. Oxygen masks deployed and passengers seated in the row were relocated.
“The crew descended below 10,000 feet, burned off fuel and safely landed back in Thessaloniki around 75 minutes after departure,” the post said.
Euro News reported that authorities said there was no crack or breach in the aircraft’s fuselage, despite initial concerns about the damage.
Four passengers went to a hospital as a precaution, and one was kept for observation and tests.
Ryanair sent the rest of the passengers on to Germany with a replacement plane.
The airline sent a statement to media Friday.
“A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen [Germany] on Friday morning (July 10) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. In order to minimize any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local this morning,” the statement said.