A passenger was partially sucked out of an acrylic window at 20,000 feet aboard Ryanair flight FR1879 on July 10, after an engine component broke off and shattered the glass.
The victim, 61-year-old Serbian businessman Ljubisa Karovic, suffered neck, shoulder, and chest injuries along with serious friction burns.
His wife Svetlana Grković and fellow passengers held his legs to pull him back inside as he repeatedly lost consciousness before the Boeing 737 made an emergency landing back in Greece.
Victim Criticizes Ryanair's Response
Karovic expressed dissatisfaction with the carrier's response, stating that no officials have reached out directly.
"All we've had is emails to my son, who booked our flights, asking if we want to rebook and asking how I was.
But nobody from the company has contacted me directly – not even a phone call to show any concern," he said.
Karovic described the psychological impact of the decompression incident, which has left him sleeping in a neck brace.
"The whole thing has been like a nightmare.
I can't even sleep at night, all I can hear when I close my eyes is the sound of an explosion and then there is chaos in my head," he added.
Grković raised concerns about the flight crew's reaction during the emergency. "They looked more scared than us.
It was only the passengers who helped and were brave," she said.
Lawyer Vasilis Tsiaras, representing the couple, confirmed legal action to hold responsible parties accountable.
"My client came back from the brink of death, and we want to make sure that whoever is responsible for this is held accountable.
It's not just about compensation, but about establishing the truth as to what happened and the condition of this aircraft," Tsiaras said.
Tsiaras added that crew conduct during the emergency remains a central concern. "There are also serious concerns about the conduct of the Ryanair crew.
They were gripped by fear that the plane was about to crash, which prevented them from doing anything to help Mr Karovic as he was hanging out of the aircraft," he stated.
Ryanair declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, but group chief financial officer Neil Sorahan previously defended the crew's actions.
"Our customer care team have actively been in touch with the family since the incident. Our crew did a phenomenal job and got the aircraft back to Thessaloniki.
Everyone bar none walked off the aircraft. It was a great job done by the cabin crew and the pilots," Sorahan said.
Sorahan noted that the airline is fully assisting investigators. "We welcome the appointment of the NTSB.
They are going to do a full, independent investigation. We are participating fully.
We have people on the ground actively involved in assisting," he added.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation.
While Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary suggested initial findings pointed to foreign object damage, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy publicly admonished O'Leary for violating rules on investigation disclosures, emphasizing that age and servicing issues have not been ruled out.
