THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A man who was partially sucked out of a dislodged window on a flight from Greece to Germany on Friday was pulled back inside the aircraft by fellow passengers.
The 61-year-old passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns, according to a Greek hospital official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly to the media.
The incident happened on a morning flight from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen, near Munich, which was operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget carrier, said in a statement that the flight “returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in-flight.”
Passengers told Greek media that they heard a loud bang, oxygen masks dropped, and the plane began to lose altitude.
One passenger, identified only as Christina, told Thessaloniki radio that some passengers panicked and screamed and that one passenger was partially sucked out of the window.
“His whole head, neck, shoulders” were pulled out of the window, she said, adding that those seated near him pulled him back in.
“Most people had fallen asleep; we had closed our eyes. We heard a sound, I’d describe it like a tire bursting, … but very loud,” she said.
“We knew straight away we lost pressure because we lost altitude. … Screams, shrieks, shouting.”
The plane landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal, and one passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki, the airline said in a statement.
A replacement aircraft was later provided to fly the passengers to Germany.
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