Passenger Nearly Pulled Through Broken Window as Boeing 737 Forced to Make Emergency Landing in Greece

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 airplane takes off from the airport in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on July 29, 2018. Paul Hanna/ReutersA Ryanair flight was forced to make an emergency landing on July 10 shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki in Greece, after a passenger was partially pulled through a dislodged window.The airline told Reuters in a statement that the plane had departed Thessaloniki en route to Memmingen in Germany, but had to return to Thessaloniki “when a passenger window dislodged in flight.”Ryanair did not say what caused the broken window or confirm the aircraft type, but said one passenger required medical assistance. Ryanair operates a fleet of 651 aircraft, with 410 Boeing 737-800s providing the backbone.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it “stands ready to support the Republic of North Macedonia and [the National Transportation Safety Board] in the investigation of Ryanair Flight 1879” in an email statement to The Epoch Times.When an aviation incident occurs in international airspace, the government in question will lead the investigation, and the NTSB, with technical support from the FAA, will provide assistance if requested.“The Boeing 737-800 returned safely to Thessaloniki Airport in Greece, Friday, July 10, around 7:10 a.m. local time after experiencing a broken window,” the FAA added.Reports from local media in Greece on Friday claimed that a piece of the plane’s engine broke off and damaged the window shortly after takeoff, resulting in a passenger being partially sucked out of the window and the cabin being decompressed.Boeing and CFM International did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.The Boeing 737-800, part of the 737 Next Generation (NG) fleet, is an older model than the popular 737 MAX. In early 2024, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX experienced a door blow-out incident shortly after takeoff.A similar incident occurred with a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG in 2018, when an engine fan blade broke off 20 minutes into the flight, causing a window to be dislodged.A 43-year-old passenger was partially pulled through the window in that incident and became the first fatality in a U.S. commercial airline accident since 2009.The fan blade broke off due to a fatigue crack in the Boeing 737-700, which had been outfitted with two CFM56-7B engines by ​CFM International. CFM International is a joint venture between U.S.-based General Electric (GE) Aerospace and Safran SA, a French company.After the 2018 incident, the NTSB urged Boeing to reengineer the fan cowl on its 737 NG fleet, following an engine failure on a separate 737 NG in 2016.Regulators responded by requiring airlines to regularly inspect engine fan blades every nine to 12 months.Reuters contributed to this report.