A passenger who was partially sucked out of a Ryanair plane window at 20,000 feet is recovering after an emergency landing, with medical experts explaining the severe risks associated with such an event.
Ljubisa Karovic, 61, was seated by the window on flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday, July 10, when a loud bang was heard just ten minutes after takeoff. The window next to his seat shattered, and despite being strapped in, Karovic's head and shoulders were pulled partially out of the aircraft. His wife, Svetlana Grkovic, held onto his legs for approximately two minutes to prevent him from being fully ejected before he was pulled back into the cabin by her and other passengers.
The plane made an emergency landing back in Thessaloniki 30 minutes later. Karovic remains hospitalized with injuries that reportedly include severe friction burns and a hand injury. His wife described his face as deformed and bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth, with his hand being particularly badly injured.
Dr. David Carey, a commercial pilot and aviation medicine specialist with over 40 years of experience, detailed the physiological threats posed by such an incident.
Hypoxia and Decompression
The primary threat to life in an explosive decompression event is hypoxia, a condition where the body's organs, particularly the brain and heart, are deprived of oxygen due to a sudden drop in cabin pressure. At 20,000 feet, the lower air pressure makes it difficult to transport oxygen to the body, even though the oxygen concentration remains roughly the same as at lower altitudes. Oxygen masks are deployed in such situations to provide a higher concentration of oxygen to compensate for the pressure loss.
In Karovic's case, with his head and shoulders exposed to the outside air, the oxygen mask would have been inaccessible. Signs of hypoxia include breathlessness, confusion, incoherent speech, extreme fatigue, weakness, and eventual loss of consciousness. Individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular or respiratory conditions are at a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, or death due to hypoxia.
When a cabin loses pressure, it transitions from an altitude equivalent of 8,000 feet to the ambient pressure at 20,000 feet almost instantaneously. This pressure change can push passengers towards the opening, though in a larger aircraft like a Boeing 737, the pressure tends to equalize quickly, limiting this effect to those near the breach. Any difficulty in retrieving Karovic was likely due to his loss of consciousness.
Barotrauma, severe injury to the inner ear and sinuses caused by rapid pressure changes, is another significant risk for all on board. This can result in excruciating pain, symptoms similar to a severe cold, and potentially ruptured eardrums, leading to bleeding from the ears, nose, and mouth, although it typically heals over time.
Environmental Factors and Survival
While the rush of wind at approximately 590 mph can cause friction burns, muscle strains, and lacerations, these are generally not life-threatening. The temperature at 20,000 feet over Greece in summer was unlikely to be a major contributing factor to immediate survival, though extreme cold could be problematic on longer exposures.
Karovic's survival is attributed to two key factors. Firstly, the incident occurred at 20,000 feet during the plane's ascent. Had it happened at a typical cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, unconsciousness could have occurred within seconds for those not receiving oxygen, and the lower pressure could have actively drawn oxygen from the lungs.
Secondly, the pilot's swift decision to descend to 9,000 feet immediately after the incident significantly increased the available oxygen for Karovic and anyone else not using an oxygen mask. This rapid descent was crucial in mitigating the risk of fatal hypoxia.
While rare, such events underscore the safety of commercial air travel, which remains one of the safest modes of transportation. Dr. Carey expressed optimism for Karovic's full recovery.