‘There were screams’: Jetliner passenger sucked partly out of aircraft mid-flight * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh

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A Boeing 737 MAX plane (Image courtesy Boeing)A Boeing 737 MAX plane

A tourist from Serbia flying from Greece to Germany survived after a window on the Ryanair jet failed and he was sucked partway out of the airliner.

Other passengers pulled him back in.

According to a CBS report posted online, a witness to the events described the details to Greek media.

“The passenger, described as a tourist from Serbia on a flight from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen in Germany, was hospitalized with friction burns but was otherwise in good condition,” the report explained authorities confirmed.

“Most of us had fallen asleep, we had closed our eyes. There was a noise, like a tire bursting,” a passenger said in an interview with Radio Thessaloniki.

“We immediately realized there had been a decompression. There were screams … for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” the woman said. “The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt.”

He was pulled back in by fellow travelers.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told CBS News they were aware of the incident and would support the investigation.

“We are in contact with the FAA as state of design of the aircraft as well as the engine manufacturer,” the EASA confirmed. “We will follow the situation closely as more information emerges and take any continued airworthiness action needed to ensure safety.”

The FAA said the Boeing 737-800 returned safely to Thessaloniki.

Media reports in Greece said the window was broken when a piece of debris that detached from a plane engine struck it.

Investigations were continuing, as some of the details posted online were could not be verified immediately.

Breaking Aviation News said it was Ryanair flight FR1879, and the “61-year-old man, who is from Serbia, upon the return of the plane, was taken to AHEPA and will undergo a CT scan to see if he has fractures.”

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.