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Wife Says She Held Husband's Legs as He Was Partly Sucked Out of Ryanair Window

Her account and videos have prompted a formal Greek probe with U.S. agencies and Boeing offering technical support as investigators examine whether engine debris shattered the window.

Svetlana Grković and her husband Ljubisa Karović were flying to Germany from Greece when he was sucked partially out of the plane after a window broke.
Image
Svetlana Grkovic Maksimovic, wife of a Ryanair passenger partially sucked out of a broken window on a flight from Greece to Germany, stands in front of AHEPA hospital where her husband is hospitalised, in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
Svetlana Grkovic Maksimovic, wife of a Ryanair passenger partially sucked out of a broken window on a flight from Greece to Germany, shows a picture of the plane's broken window in front of AHEPA hospital where her husband is hospitalised, in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Overview

  • A Ryanair-operated Boeing 737-800 returned to Thessaloniki after a cabin window dislodged and a passenger, Ljubiša Karović, was partially pulled through the opening while seated next to it.
  • His wife, Svetlana Grković, told reporters she gripped his legs for about five minutes and, with help from other passengers, pulled him back before the plane made an emergency landing; Karović is hospitalized with burns, a badly injured hand, and is in shock.
  • Multiple videos and witness accounts show damage to the engine cowling and a missing fan blade, and local airport sources reported engine debris striking the window, but investigators have not yet confirmed a definitive technical cause.
  • Greek safety investigators have opened a formal inquiry and the FAA, NTSB, EASA and Boeing have offered support, which could lead to targeted inspections or airworthiness directives if an uncontained engine part release is confirmed.
  • The episode recalls past 737 Next Generation incidents in which fan-blade or cowl failures damaged windows, and experts say any finding of an engine fragment breach would have direct maintenance and safety implications for similar aircraft.