Ljubiša Karović, a 61-year-old Serbian passenger, has broken his silence following a terrifying incident aboard a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, where he was partially sucked out of a shattered window.
Karović described being jolted awake by a "massive bang like a bomb" during the flight. He realized his head and shoulders were exposed outside the aircraft, and his wife desperately clung to his feet for approximately five minutes. A portion of the plane's engine had broken away, striking and shattering the window.
The emergency forced the plane to return to Thessaloniki for an emergency landing, which it completed after one hour and 14 minutes. A pregnant passenger was taken to the hospital as a precaution and has since been released. Another passenger reported that travelers feared they would not survive the flight, which continued for about 30 minutes with the damaged window and deployed oxygen masks.
Karović sustained severe injuries, including a swollen and numb head, temporary paralysis on the right side of his body, and partial damage to his right ear and eye. He also has burns on his back and right hand. He is currently wearing a neck brace for six weeks and expressed doubt about making a full recovery.
The ordeal has profoundly impacted his mental well-being, leading to panic attacks and an inability to function normally. "As soon as I close my eyes, images appear of the nightmare I experienced," Karović stated. He now experiences significant stress and fever whenever he hears an airplane and is not contemplating future flights.
His wife, Svetlana Grković, recounted the horror, saying, "I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible." Other passengers assisted in pulling Karović back into the cabin. Grković expressed a desire to thank one heroic passenger who helped save her husband's life.
Footage shared by a flight attendant appeared to show damage to the aircraft, including a missing engine blade and a large hole in the engine casing, alongside the shattered window. Ryanairs spokesman confirmed the incident, stating the aircraft landed normally and passengers were transferred to a replacement plane to continue their journey to Memmingen.