Overview
- A Ryanair-operated Boeing 737 left Thessaloniki and returned after a cabin window dislodged, causing rapid decompression and the automatic deployment of oxygen masks on Friday, July 10.
- Passengers and the man’s wife restrained a 61-year-old Serbian passenger whose head and shoulders were briefly outside the fuselage before he was pulled back into the cabin and taken to hospital with friction burns and neck and shoulder injuries.
- Multiple passengers and unverified video show damage to the window and one engine, and two airport sources told Reuters that engine debris may have struck the window but investigators have not confirmed the cause.
- The Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority (HARSIA) opened a formal inquiry, the aircraft remains grounded in Thessaloniki, and the FAA, NTSB and Boeing have offered technical help.
- If investigators find an uncontained engine failure, regulators could order focused inspections of similar 737 Next Generation engines and aircraft, a step that could affect maintenance checks and airline schedules.