Ryanair passenger nearly sucked out: ‘The explosion is what I remember’

Ljubisa Karović was asleep in his window seat when a thunderous explosion tore through the cabin. The 61-year-old Serbian entrepreneur had been heading from Greece to Germany to celebrate his brother’s birthday. Instead, at 15,000 feet, he found himself partially sucked out of the aircraft, his head and right arm exposed to the rushing air at over 600 km/h. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Karović recounts the chaos, his survival, and the lingering trauma.

The Moment of Crisis

Passengers on flight FR1879 recall the sudden decompression, oxygen masks dropping, and debris flying. Karović, seated in 11F, was hurled outward when the window gave way. “The explosion is what I remember,” he says. “It’s the noise before the chaos, the noise that is always there when I close my eyes.” Fellow passengers rushed to hold him, desperately pulling him back inside. Among them, a man described as Albanian used a suitcase to block the shattered window, preventing further suction. The ordeal lasted an estimated one and a half to two minutes.

Survival Against the Odds

Miraculously, Karović survived. He attributes this to his seatbelt, which kept him from being fully ejected, and to fate. “I believe in God and thank him every day,” he says. Discharged from hospital after 11 days, he still wears a neck brace and bears livid burns and bruises on his right arm and chest. His lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, says Karović “dipped in and out of death” and that his survival is a mistake of nature. Karović’s wife, Svetlana, seated three rows behind, fainted twice and witnessed her husband “half in and half out” of the plane.

Crew Response Under Scrutiny

While Ryanair has praised its cabin crew for doing a “phenomenal job,” Karović’s wife and lawyer dispute this. Svetlana claims no flight attendants intervened, and that it was passengers who saved her husband. Tsiaras has taken issue with Ryanair’s characterization. The incident remains under investigation by Greek and aviation authorities. Karović is considering legal action, seeking accountability and hoping to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Lingering Trauma and Next Steps

Karović’s physical wounds are healing, but the psychological toll endures. Nightmares of the explosion keep him awake. “I don’t want anyone to suffer what happened to me,” he says. The investigation into the window failure will determine if maintenance or design flaws were at fault. Meanwhile, Karović focuses on recovery, supported by his family and the memory of the passenger who blocked the window. As the aviation industry reviews safety protocols, his story serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life at altitude.

As the investigation unfolds, Karović’s ordeal may prompt stricter safety checks and crew training for decompression emergencies. For now, he is grateful to be alive, but the sound of that explosion will never fade.