A routine Ryanair departure from Greece turned terrifying in seconds this month when a cabin window failed mid-flight and a passenger was partly pulled outside the aircraft—an incident the airline’s chief executive now says may have been triggered by “foreign object damage.”
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told analysts that early information from the investigation pointed in that direction, while stressing the findings are not yet final. “Initial indication would suggest it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki, but we don’t have, we can’t say that definitively,” he said while presenting Ryanair’s results for the April-June quarter.
O’Leary said investigators are expected to issue a draft report on the incident in about 28 days, with a fuller report to follow.
The event unfolded earlier this month on a Ryanair flight bound for Germany, when a window “detached” in mid-air, nearly pulling a 61-year-old man out of the aircraft.
The passenger, Serbian national Ljubisa Karovic, was restrained by other travelers—including his wife—after he was partially sucked toward the opening. He was injured and taken to hospital.
According to Mr Karovic’s wife, he had been wearing his seatbelt, which prevented him from being completely ejected. She said she and two other passengers managed to drag him back into the cabin as oxygen masks dropped and panic swept through the plane.
The investigation is being led by the US National Transportation Safety Board. The Federal Aviation Administration has said a piece of the engine broke off the Boeing 737 NG and struck the window shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, on 10 July.
The aircraft then lost cabin pressure and had to divert for an emergency landing.
