U.S. investigators probe Ryanair window blowout after passenger nearly sucked out

A 61-year-old Serbian passenger was nearly pulled out of a broken window on a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.

Greece handed the lead role in the probe to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board under International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 13 procedures, even though the episode happened in Greek airspace. The arrangement is designed for major accidents and serious incidents that cross borders, letting one authority run the technical inquiry while other states with an interest in the aircraft, operator or passengers contribute evidence.

BBC tracking data put the flight airborne for about 10 minutes after takeoff on July 10, 2026, before it abruptly descended 9,000 feet, or 2,700 meters. Passengers heard "some kind of explosion" before the emergency return to Thessaloniki.

The injured passenger was treated at a Greek hospital for friction burns and suffered neck and shoulder injuries. He was nearly pulled head-first out of the cabin window, and his wife and another passenger helped pull him back inside. His wife said "half of his body was sticking out of the plane" and that he was out for "maybe two or three minutes."

The investigation will now turn on the physical evidence: the window assembly, any prior repairs or defects, maintenance records, crew accounts and wreckage analysis. Investigators will also determine whether the broken window was the only failure or whether another technical problem, including a right-engine issue, developed during the same emergency.

Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said there would be a "full investigation."