Married men may want to show a little extra appreciation this weekend, because one passenger’s frightening midair ordeal reportedly took a life-saving turn thanks to his wife’s fast reaction.
The incident unfolded Friday shortly after a Ryanair flight departed Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany. According to reports, a passenger window failed during the flight, and a 61-year-old man was partially pulled toward the opening.
Without getting too technical, commercial aircraft cabins are pressurized at a much higher level than the air outside at altitude. When a breach occurs, the sudden pressure difference can create an intense force pulling air — and anything nearby — toward the opening.
The man’s survival may have come down to his wife’s quick thinking, according to a Greek doctor who treated him on the tarmac after the aircraft turned back and landed in Thessaloniki.
The doctor said the passenger’s wife grabbed and held onto her husband’s feet, preventing him from being pulled completely out of the plane. The man was later taken to a hospital for treatment.
The aircraft declared an emergency as oxygen masks deployed inside the cabin. A senior Greek aviation official said the plane returned to Thessaloniki and landed safely Friday morning.
The official told ABC News that the Ryanair Boeing 737 experienced an uncontained engine failure. Debris from the engine struck the aircraft, damaging the fuselage and shattering a passenger window, the official said.
BREAKING: A Ryanair passenger was reportedly saved from being pulled out of the cabin after a window failed during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.
According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026
BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.
According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine reportedly detached and struck a cabin window.
A 61-year-old man, who is from Serbia upon the return of the plane, was taken to AHEPA and will undergo a CT scan to see if he has fractures.
Speaking about the incident, the president of POEDIN (Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees), stressed that there was almost a tragedy, as a window was broken, the body of a passenger came out in the air and was restrained by his wife. The 61-year-old is currently at AHEPA with friction burns.
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Although flying commercially is actually extremely safe statistically compared to other modes of transportation, when things go wrong, they can go very wrong, terrifying would-be flyers. This man — and the other passengers — are lucky to be alive.
WATCH: Video showing the damaged engine that caused debris to smash through a Ryanair 737 cabin window earlier today. pic.twitter.com/ZSOAu0oOE2
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026
The Republic of North Macedonia will oversee the investigation because it is the “country of occurrence.”
My advice to this man: get your wife a truly spectacular bouquet.
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