Ryanair disputes claims of passenger being sucked through broken window

Ryanair cabin decompression aviation safety Michael O’Leary Boeing 737-800

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has disputed claims that a passenger was partially sucked out of an aircraft window during a flight from Greece to Germany in July. The incident involved a Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air, where a window shattered following a mid-air engine failure.

Ljubisa Karovic, a 61-year-old passenger, sustained serious injuries, including neck and shoulder trauma, during the sudden cabin decompression. Karovic’s legal counsel asserts that his head and right arm were pulled through the broken window, though he was eventually pulled back into the cabin by other passengers. His wife described the scene as seeing him “half in and half out of the aircraft.”

O’Leary maintains that while the passenger was certainly pulled toward the window under dramatic circumstances, no part of his body actually exited the plane, noting that Karovic was secured by his seat belt. The airline has stated it will contest any claims suggesting the passenger was partially outside the aircraft.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, alongside Boeing and engine manufacturer GE. Preliminary reports suggest that fragments from a broken fan blade in the right engine struck and shattered the window.

Entities

Boeing · Ljubisa Karovic · Michael O’Leary · National Transportation Safety Board · Ryanair

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 23 SOURCES] The passenger believes his seat belt prevented him from being completely ejected from the aircraft. bijeljina.com · adevarul.ro · www.kurir.rs · serbiantimes.info · kitchener.citynews.ca · +18 more
[● 4 SOURCES] The 61-year-old passenger sustained injuries to his neck and shoulders following the incident. www.denik.cz · toronto.citynews.ca · www.kob.com · kitchener.citynews.ca
[● 4 SOURCES] Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary acknowledged the injured passenger is entitled to some compensation. www.denik.cz · www.theguardian.com · kitchener.citynews.ca · www.kob.com
[● 27 SOURCES] The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the incident. bijeljina.com · www.reader.gr · srpskainfo.com · www.rthess.gr · adevarul.ro · +22 more
[DISPUTED] The passenger's head and right arm were pulled through the window due to sudden cabin decompression. bijeljina.com · www.reader.gr · srpskainfo.com · www.rthess.gr · adevarul.ro · +22 more
[DISPUTED] The passenger's wife described seeing him half in and half out of the aircraft. www.rthess.gr · adevarul.ro · time.news · www.tanea.gr · bijeljina.com · +4 more
[DISPUTED] Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary disputes that any part of the passenger's body went outside the aircraft through the broken window. bijeljina.com · www.reader.gr · srpskainfo.com · www.rthess.gr · adevarul.ro · +23 more
[● 6 SOURCES] A broken fan blade in the aircraft's right engine sent fragments that struck and shattered the window. toronto.citynews.ca · www.kob.com · www.independent.co.uk · kitchener.citynews.ca · hnonline.sk · +1 more