Ryanair Flight FR1879: Serbian Passenger Rescued After Engine Debris Sucked Him Out

On a Ryanair Boeing 737‑800 operating as flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, a part of the right‑hand engine detached shortly after take‑off and struck a passenger window. The impact caused a rapid decompression and pulled 61‑year‑old Ljubiša Karović of Serbia partially out of the aircraft. His wife, Svetlana Grković, held his legs for about five minutes while other passengers helped pull him back into the cabin. The crew returned to Thessaloniki for an emergency landing.

Karović sustained neck, shoulder and friction‑burn injuries, severe shock and was unable to speak. He remains hospitalized in Greece. Grković described the ordeal, saying, "It was horrible" and, "If we die, we die together." Video from the flight showed a missing engine blade and damage to the engine casing.

The incident, which briefly occurred over the airspace of the Republic of North Macedonia, triggered an investigation led by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, with participation from the ICAO Committee for the Investigation of Air Accidents and Representatives from North Macedonia. Macedonian authorities are also involved in the inquiry.