Ryanair passenger, 61, nearly sucked out of shattered window during flight, wife allegedly held onto his legs for 5 minutes

A 61-year-old Serbian man onboard a Ryanair plane on Jul. 10 was nearly sucked head-first out of a shattered window in mid-air.

He was reportedly saved by his wife and fellow passengers holding onto him.

Tracking data showed the plane was in the air for about 10 minutes when it abruptly descended 2,700m, according to BBC.

Passengers reportedly told local media that pieces of the jet's engine smashed the window, though this has not been confirmed by the airline.

The incident took place on Ryanair flight FR18799, which was going from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

Treated for friction burns

The man's wife reportedly held onto his legs for around five minutes to stop him from being sucked out.

Passengers also told local media the man was hanging out as far as his shoulders from the window before other passengers managed to pull him back inside.

The man is now being treated in the hospital for friction burns.

"He is in shock, remains conscious," said Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees.

Ryanair statement

In a statement, Ryanair said the flight bound for Memmingen returned "shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight".

"The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki," the Irish budget airline said.

“In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53am local time this morning,” the airline said, according to The Guardian.

Passengers recount experience

While Ryanair did not comment on the cause of the incident, passengers on board the flight told local media the window was smashed by pieces of the jet's engine.

"We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door," one passenger said.

"The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."

Another passenger said they thought the plane was "going down" and described the decompression as "extreme".

"It felt like we couldn't breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock," the passenger said.

Investigations ongoing

BBC reported that the aircraft is believed to have been an 18-year-old plane that was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air.

Thessaloniki airport's operator Fraport Greece said that the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority is investigating the incident.

The operator added that it is "fully co-operating" with all relevant stakeholders and has "activated the established emergency response procedures following the aircraft's forced return".

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) also said it was aware of the incident and would provide any assistance to investigators, BBC reported.