Cabin window shatters on Ryanair flight: Passenger partially pulled out of the aircraft

According to reports from Greek broadcaster ERT, a passenger seated directly next to the affected window was pulled partially out of the opening by the head and shoulders due to the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside air. An eyewitness told the broadcaster: "Sein Kopf und seine Schultern ragten aus dem zerbrochenen Fenster heraus". The man's wife reportedly initially held onto him by his feet before other passengers helped pull him back into the cabin.

According to the Greek newspaper "H efimerida ton Syntakton," the affected individual is a 61-year-old Serbian citizen. After the aircraft's return, he was treated by emergency services and taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki. According to Ryanair's statement to the German Press Agency (dpa), medical assistance was also requested on site, and one passenger took up this offer.

Crew's response and return to Thessaloniki

After the cabin window shattered, oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, as seen in photos and videos on social networks. According to consistent reports, the crew decided to immediately descend to an altitude below 3,000 meters and dump fuel in order to reach the maximum permissible landing weight. The return flight to Thessaloniki airport took about 20 minutes.

The aviation portal Aero estimated the altitude at which the incident occurred at around 15,000 feet (approximately 4,500 meters). According to Greek media, the aircraft was over the airspace of North Macedonia at the time. The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Thessaloniki, and the passengers were brought into the terminal.

Airline's statements and deployment of a replacement aircraft

Ryanair confirmed the incident upon dpa's inquiry. A spokesperson stated that a cabin window had come loose during the flight to Memmingen shortly after takeoff. Contact persons had been provided as a precaution for the affected passengers: "Für die betroffenen Passagiere standen vorsorglich Ansprechpartner bereit, diese Angebote wurden nach aktuellem Stand jedoch nicht in Anspruch genommen."

To keep the delay as short as possible, the airline reportedly provided a replacement aircraft. This aircraft also took off from Thessaloniki on Friday morning at 9:53 a.m. local time and subsequently brought the passengers to Memmingen. Allgäu Airport is located approximately 100 kilometers west of Munich and about 120 kilometers southeast of Stuttgart.

Expert technical explanation

Initial reports cited debris that had come loose from one of the engines and damaged the cabin window as the cause of the window breakage. Professor emeritus of aviation electronics and former pilot Harald Hanke explained to dpa that such incidents are extremely rare. "Eigentlich kommt so etwas sehr selten vor", said Hanke.

Hanke also explained the physical background of a sudden pressure equalization in the cabin. During flight, the cabin is at a significantly higher air pressure than outside the aircraft. "Wenn in der Kabine nun plötzlich ein großes Loch entsteht, gleicht sich der Druck schlagartig aus", said the expert. The drop in pressure would cause loose objects and unrestrained persons to be pulled toward the opening.

Asked how quickly such a suction effect could occur, Hanke answered: "Je größer die Öffnung ist, desto schneller geschieht das." The pressure equalization is practically instantaneous in the cases described here and can cause unrestrained occupants to be partially pulled through an opening before the pressure has fully equalized. The expert emphasized that the incident must be carefully investigated by the responsible authorities.

According to Greek broadcaster ERT, investigations into the incident have been initiated. Details regarding the scope of the investigations and the condition of the injured passenger were not initially made public. No more precise information about the 61-year-old's health was available on Friday.

Investigations and parallel to an earlier incident

The incident evokes memories of an accident in 2018, when the left engine of a Boeing 737-700 operated by US airline Southwest Airlines exploded and debris struck the fuselage. At that time, a passenger was partially pulled out of the aircraft and died. Today's Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair belongs to a different sub-type, but also features engines of a similar design mounted on the wings.

Memmingen airport, which is served by Ryanair from various parts of Europe as well as from Jordan and Morocco, among other destinations, has several weekly direct connections to Thessaloniki. On Friday evening, flight operations at Allgäu Airport proceeded as scheduled according to company statements, and the replacement aircraft landed at its destination.

Ryanair's stock showed a slight intraday gain on the day of the incident, trading at times 1.13 percent higher at 26.90 euros according to trading service data. Analysts have recently rated the stock predominantly positively, including Barclays Capital with "Overweight" and Bernstein Research with "Outperform."

Outlook: Determining the cause

According to expert assessments, the engine recordings and the flight data recorders of the Boeing 737-800 are likely to play a central role in determining the cause. Until the investigations are completed, it remains unclear which specific component pierced the cabin window and to what extent possible maintenance or material defects may have played a role.