Ryanair flight FR1879 had just taken off from Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany, in the early hours of July 10, when a window suddenly came loose. The decompression sucked out a 61-year-old Serbian tourist, leaving his head and shoulders outside the plane, held only by the seat belt he was still wearing.
His wife and other passengers held onto him tightly and did not let go for several minutes, while the crew made an emergency turn. The plane returned and landed in Thessaloniki just over an hour after takeoff.
The man suffered friction burns and was in shock, but survived. Ryanair confirmed the incident and sent another aircraft to complete the journey for the remaining passengers, while Greek authorities investigate what caused the window to break.