The chief executive of Ryanair on Sept. 10 pushed back against reports that a passenger was partially sucked out of an aircraft window during a flight from Greece, saying he does not believe any part of the man's body exited the plane.
The incident occurred on July 10 aboard Malta Air Flight 1879, a Boeing 737-800 operating for Ryanair, during a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB, an independent U.S. government agency, took over the investigation from Greek authorities.
Broken engine parts struck the side of the plane and smashed the window, leaving one passenger with serious injuries, according to investigators. The plane lost pressure and was forced to make
an emergency landing.
Svetlana Grković, a Serbian national, previously told news outlets that the decompression left her husband Ljubisa Karović, 61, hanging outside the aircraft up to his chest for about two minutes while passengers tried to pull him back inside.
While acknowledging Karović's injuries, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said the passenger is entitled to "some compensation" but not "millions and millions."
"We don’t think any part of his body got out the window, but he was certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window," O’Leary said during a news conference after the Ireland-based budget airline's annual general meeting in Dublin on Sept. 10.
He also disputed statements attributed to Grković, who has said she helped save her husband by holding onto his legs. O’Leary noted that she was seated several rows behind Karović and called that account "somewhat delusional."
What did the NTSB's preliminary report find?
The NTSB said in a preliminary report that a fan blade in the aircraft's right engine broke apart, sending fragments into the fuselage and shattering a cabin window.
Pilots received a warning that the engine was vibrating abnormally as the plane climbed to about 16,000 feet before hearing a "loud bang," after which the aircraft lost cabin pressure and turned back toward Thessaloniki for an emergency landing, according to investigators.
Flight attendants reported intense shaking and seeing a small amount of smoke or fog in the cabin before oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. When crew members responded to calls for help, they found a 61-year-old passenger seated next to the blown-out window partially pulled through the opening, the report states.
The NTSB said other passengers helped pull the man back into the aircraft. He suffered serious injuries, including injuries to his head, neck, and right arm, USA TODAY previously reported.
The NTSB's investigation also found evidence suggesting birds may have played a role in the incident, though investigators have not determined a cause. The report said flight crews had reported four suspected bird strikes involving the same engine during the previous 12 months.
'I am lucky': Passenger says seatbelt may have saved his life
Karović told The Guardian that he had been sleeping in a window seat when a loud explosion woke him moments before the cabin rapidly depressurized. He said he believed his seat belt may have saved his life.
His attorney, Vasilis Tsiaras, told the British newspaper that Karović was pulled through the opening "from his chest up" and lost consciousness during the ordeal. Karović said he later learned he had fainted multiple times.
"I am lucky," Karović told The Guardian. "I don't remember much and my head and neck still hurt, but I am still alive. It could have been the seatbelt, the fact that I was still strapped in. But maybe it is fate."
In an interview with Serbian media outlet Nova, cited by the BBC, Grković said her husband was "outside up to his chest" for two minutes while she grabbed his legs and another passenger sitting next to him held his hand. Other passengers told news outlets that Karović had his seatbelt on the entire time, helping his body stay inside the plane, but his head and shoulders were outside.
Contributing: Anthony Thompson and Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryanair CEO disputes claim passenger was sucked out of plane window
