Reason Ryanair passenger was sucked out of plane window as details of accident report revealed

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Ryanair flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen, Germany, was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing on July 10 after an on-board incident saw a passenger sucked through the plane window.

Ljubiša Karović, 61, from Serbia, was sitting in his window seat beside his partner when the window shattered, sucking his head outside the aircraft.

In the wake of the incident, Mr Karović described the terrifying “nightmare” ordeal for the first time.

Now, an early report by US air investigators has revealed that blades inside the plane’s engine broke away shortly after take-off, striking the fuselage and the window.

A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that an engine fan blade ultimately shattered the Ryanair plane's window.

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The NTSB was “delegated the investigation in full” by the Greek authorities following the mid-air incident.

The flight was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary, Malta Air, with the report revealing the plane began showing a “high vibration” engine alert during the climb out of Greece.

The pilots then reduced power to the engine power in response, before carrying out "high vibration" checks.

Mr Karović, a Serbian entrepreneur, was sitting in seat 11F at the time, with pressure differences sucking his head and right arm through the broken window.

As the window smashed out, Mr Karović was reportedly saved from being entirely sucked through after other passengers grabbed hold of his body.

A doctor onboard attended to the businessman as he drifted in and out of consciousness until the flight landed.

The passenger said his wife, Svetlana, recalled the incident, noting that he fainted several times, including after he was pulled back inside the cabin.

Mr Karović told German news outlet Bild: “I fell asleep... After some time I got woken up by a massive bang like a bomb. Only for one moment I was conscious and cannot remember the rest. 

"I had blood all over me, blood was dripping from my face and my hands."

The report reveals "experienced a No 2 (right) engine fan-blade-out (FBO) failure during climb out from the Thessaloniki international airport (SKG), Thessaloniki, Greece”.

Further details contained in the report reveal the two pilots chose to return to Thessaloniki airport, where they “made an uneventful landing”.

After crew heard a loud bang, passengers and crew put on their oxygen masks, before declaring an emergency incident and began an immediate descent.

“As soon as I close my eyes, images appear of the nightmare I experienced. Those few minutes, it is simply a nightmare, which I cannot explain with words.

“I am not even contemplating getting on another flight. Every time I hear an airplane, I get stress and a fever. I am not well at all when I hear an airplane.”

He was left with serious injuries and has to wear a neck brace for six weeks.

He said he has suffered a swollen and numb head, the right side of his body was temporarily paralysed and he has damage to his right ear and eye. He also suffered burns on his back and right hand.

“Mentally I have hit rock bottom. It has an effect on both my work and family. It is a complete upheaval in my life,” he added.

After the drama on board, a witness told Greek broadcaster ERT that the man's 'head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window'.

Other passengers and Mr Karović’s wife eventually managed to pull him back inside the plane’s fuselage by grabbing on to his legs.

A Ryanair spokesman said: “A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight.

“The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.

“One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.

“In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local this morning.”