Woman reveals horror as husband was 'sucked out' of plane window during freak accident

Some people are nervous fliers anyway, but imagine the horror of watching your husband getting sucked out of a plane window and holding on for dear life as you fear you might never see him again.

This is exactly what happened to Svetlana Grković, whose seemingly normal Ryanair flight with her husband turned into a nightmare when "half of his body was sticking out of the plane."

Although it's far safer to fly than drive, and one former flight attendant has revealed how likely you are to survive a crash, the world of plane news is often dominated by bad news.

2025 was a particularly harrowing year in terms of plane crashes, with experts explaining why they seemed to be increasing in number.

When it comes to Ryanair flight FR1879, disaster was thankfully avoided as this terror in the skies unfolded.

Speaking to Serbian outlet Nova, Grković explained how she and her husband, Ljubisa Karović, took off from Greece's Thessaloniki Airport in the early hours of July 10. They were flying to Germany's Memmingen, but around half an hour into their flight, passengers heard a loud bang.

Grković said: "It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window where my husband Ljubiša was sitting. Luckily, he was strapped in. As the window broke, decompression occurred in the cabin."

The 61-year-old’s wife says the pressure pulled him to the window and left half of his body hanging out of the plane: "I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together'. It was horrible."

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… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026

As masks fell from the ceiling, Grković said other passengers rushed to help the couple: "Some people came to my aid, I remembered one man and one woman. That man helped me a lot, me and Ljubisa. We held Ljubisa's legs together, while the plane was returning to the airport in Thessaloniki."

She maintains that Ljubiša lost consciousness several times, and when they landed, he was immediately rushed to the hospital.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Grković admitted: "It's important to me that he's alive. He's seriously injured and in shock. His hand is particularly badly injured, and he's got burns. He's not able to communicate, he doesn't remember the whole event."

A technical advisor appointed by the family suggests a failure in the plane's right engine caused debris to shatter the cabin window and cause a rapid loss of pressure. That is yet to be confirmed by official investigators.

After the plane landed, it was taken to a special platform ahead of an investigation being launched.

Ryanair has responded to the incident, concluding: "During the flight, one window in the passenger cabin was detached. The plane landed safely, and the passengers were returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance. In order to minimize the delay, a second plane was provided to transport the passengers to Memmingen."

It's said that Karović is still in the hospital, where he's recovering from shock. Ryanair's investigation is ongoing.