Expert explains if you can be sucked out of plane window after man is nearly ejected

Flying isn't always a great experience, as horror crashes replay in your mind as you're in the air – however, after a man was nearly pulled out of a plane this month, wondering if the same thing could happen to you is a legitimate worry.

The event occurred on July 10, after Svetlana Grković and her husband, Ljubiša Karović boarded a Ryanair plane from Greece to Memmingen, Germany.

However, just moments into the flight, he was nearly ejected into the skies above Thessaloniki, leaving his wife to hold onto his legs as he was dangling outside the craft from 'up to his chest'.

Speaking to news outlet NOVA, Svetlana said of the ordeal: "It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband Ljubiša was sitting.

"I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible."

A man was nearly sucked out of a plane this month (Getty Stock Images)

The pair, who are from Serbia, came away from the event alive, though Ljubiša reportedly sustained injuries from the five-minute-long incident until fellow passengers battled to pull him back into the cabin.

The Boeing 737-800 ended up making an emergency landing at its departure airport, where the husband was able to receive medical treatment.

Speaking to ERT, Svetlana claims it was thanks to other passengers that her husband was able to be pulled back inside.

However, with no official cause confirmed for how the window smashed open and nearly sucked the man outside, it's easy to worry that you could be next.

But according to an expert, it's not likely.

“Air travel is still 600,000 times safer than driving in your car,” Jeff Guzzetti, an Aviation Risk expert and president of Guzzetti Aviation Risk Discovery, revealed to The Post.

The window was allegedly smashed (Getty Stock Images)

“We still don’t know why this particular event happened,” he added. “It’s an extremely rare occurrence, but the Greeks have asked the US NTSB to investigate, so that’s a good thing because they have experience in investigating similar cases in the past.”

“The investigators need to be very methodical and thoughtful, and then you need to write a report that is of high quality and credible and that has consensus,” he added.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told CBS News: "We are in contact with the FAA as state of design of the aircraft as well as the engine manufacturer.

"We will follow the situation closely as more information emerges and take any continued airworthiness action needed to ensure safety."

As for who will be liable to take on the blame of the incident, Guzzetti said: “It’s up to the individual to handle recourse. Frequently in cases like this, victims can sue.”

“If there is accountability, it could be with the manufacturer,” the expert said.

Passengers on the flight have since been sharing their experience, including Christina, who told Radio Thessaloniki: "The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."