A Ryanair passenger who was partially pulled through a broken aircraft window has spoken publicly for the first time about the terrifying incident, describing the ordeal as a “nightmare” that still leaves him panicked at the sound of a plane.
Ljubiša Karović, 61, from Serbia, was flying from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen, Germany, when his head and shoulders ended up outside the aircraft. His wife, in a desperate bid to save him, held tightly onto his feet for what he said felt like five agonising minutes.
The dramatic emergency unfolded after part of the engine reportedly broke away mid-flight and struck the window, shattering it. The Ryanair aircraft was then forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at the airport from which it had departed.
Mr Karović has now described the psychological toll of the incident, saying the experience left him at “rock bottom” and suffering from panic attacks.
Speaking to German outlet Bild, he recalled: “I fell asleep… After some time I got woken up by a massive bang like a bomb. Only for one moment I was conscious and cannot remember the rest.”
“I had blood all over me, blood was dripping from my face and my hands,” he said, describing the immediate aftermath inside the cabin.
Mr Karović said the memories have become impossible to escape. “As soon as I close my eyes, images appear of the nightmare I experienced. Those few minutes, it is simply a nightmare, which I cannot explain with words.”
He added that the trauma has left him unable to consider flying again. “I am not even contemplating getting on another flight. Every time I hear an airplane, I get stress and a fever. I am not well at all when I hear an airplane.”
Ljubiša Karović, 61, from Serbia, was travelling from Greece to Germany when his head and shoulders were sucked outside the aircraft while his wife (right) desperately clung to his feet
Mr Karović has broken his silence and described the ‘nightmare experience’ that has put him at ‘rock bottom’ and suffering with panic attacks (pictured: the broken window)
The terrifying ordeal left Mr Karović with severe injuries and he is stuck in a neck brace for six weeks.
Following the accident he suffers from a swollen and numb head, the right side of his body became temporarily paralysed and now his right ear and right eye are also partially damaged.
He also has burns on his back and right hand and said it is unlikely he will make a full recovery.
The husband once loved to travel for business and pleasure, but his life has been completely upturned and can’t function the same.
He said: ‘Now everything is bothering me. The hustle and bustle bother me, I cannot walk on the street, everything bothers me.
‘Mentally I have hit rock bottom. It has an effect on both my work and family. It is a complete upheaval in my life.
‘I have no concentration. My attention can’t be focused on anything. That means I’m simply not functioning properly.’
Last week, his wife Svetlana Grković described the ordeal in the air.
She told Nova: ‘I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: “If we die, we die together.” It was horrible.’
Chaos ensued with some passengers panicking and others rushing to help Mr Karović.
‘Some people came to my aid, I remember one man and one woman,’ she added. ‘That man helped me a lot, Ljubiša and I.’
Ms Grković said she would like to thank the heroic passenger in person after he helped save her husband’s life.
A large hole can be seen in the side of the engine casing. Travellers feared they ‘wouldn’t make it’ as the jet flew for around 30 minutes with the damaged window
Following the accident Mr Karović suffers from a swollen and numb head, the right side of his body became temporarily paralysed and now his right ear and right eye are partially damaged
The Ryanair plane landed back in Thessaloniki after one hour and 14 minutes.
A pregnant woman also on board the flight was taken to hospital. According to local media, she is in good health and has since left the hospital.
One passenger told the Informer: ‘Luckily, he didn’t unbuckle his seat belt. His wife Svetlana Grković held his legs for five full minutes, until the other passengers ran to help and managed to pull him back into the cabin.’
Footage, shared by a Ryanair flight attendant, appeared to show a missing engine blade and damage to the outside of the aircraft before panning to the smashed window. A large hole could also be seen in the side of the engine casing.
Another witness told Greek broadcaster ERT that the man’s ‘head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window’.
Travellers feared they ‘wouldn’t make it’ as the jet flew for around 30 minutes with the damaged window.
One witness, who had been sitting at the back of the plane, said they did not initially realise what had happened.
‘We thought we were falling,’ they said. ‘We were wearing oxygen masks, we didn’t know if we would make it.’
The witness added that Mr Karović ‘had blood on his head’ and ‘fainted several times’.
Last week, his wife Svetlana Grkovic described the ‘horrible’ ordeal in the air
Mr Karović spoke of hearing a loud bang ‘like a bomb’ as the jet’s window was shattered
Commenting on the incident, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) claimed there was ‘almost a tragedy’.
He said the ‘damaged’ window gave way and that part of the passenger’s body was pulled outside the aircraft before he was restrained by his wife.
A Ryanair spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight.
‘The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.
‘One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.
‘In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local this morning.’
