What was supposed to be the final leg of a relaxing summer holiday quickly spiralled into chaos for dozens of passengers aboard a Ryanair flight from Majorca to Manchester.
Instead of heading home, several found themselves seriously injured after panicking passengers jumped from the wings of the aircraft—some falling over 18 feet—when a fire scare triggered a rushed evacuation.
Screams, Confusion, and a Rush to Escape
It was the early hours of Saturday morning when the flight, already delayed by two hours, began taxiing on the runway at Palma Airport.
That’s when a loud bang rattled the cabin, and a member of the crew sprinted down the aisle, urgently shouting for everyone to evacuate immediately.
That was all it took for panic to spread like wildfire.
Danielle Kelly, 56, who was flying with her daughter, Frankie, said it felt like a life-or-death situation.
“People were jumping for their lives,” she recalled from her hospital bed.
“I didn’t want to jump, but I was terrified something terrible was happening—maybe even a terrorist onboard.”
Jumping Off the Wings with No Direction
The emergency slides were deployed at the front of the aircraft, but passengers seated in the middle, like Danielle and her daughter, had no option but to climb out onto the wings and jump.
Cabin crew reportedly urged everyone to abandon their belongings in case the plane exploded—words that only escalated the fear.
Danielle, who runs her own fitness business, was one of the many injured in the chaos.
She broke her right heel, fractured her wrist, and shattered her elbow after falling to the tarmac.
“I’ve got surgeries scheduled for all three injuries,” she said.
“It was terrifying. I’ve been completely traumatised.”
Another Passenger Left in Agony After Jump
Danielle’s friend, Francine Elkinson, 57, also didn’t make it out unscathed.
She broke her right foot badly enough to need a three-hour surgery involving pins and plates.
Francine said the panic was worsened by the complete lack of guidance from the pilot or crew.
“Everyone was just screaming, pushing to get out.
My daughter jumped first and shouted for me to follow.
I hit the ground hard and couldn’t walk. It was chaos.”
She added, “Danielle was crying in pain. It was horrendous.
And then Ryanair had the nerve to say people had ‘minor injuries.’ Absolute rubbish.”
No Announcements, No Calm—Just Mayhem
Another injured passenger, who asked not to be named, suffered a double pelvic fracture and a broken lower back in the panic.
She described how a steward shouted over the Tannoy about a potential explosion and urged people to leave their luggage and run—adding fuel to an already frantic atmosphere.
“There was no order. People were scrambling over each other.
And when we finally made it onto the bus back to the terminal, a crew member just shrugged and said, ‘We did our best.
We’re only human.’ But there was no leadership at all. We were left to fend for ourselves.”
Doctors have since told her she may not be able to walk for another three months, and she now plans to take legal action against the airline.
Eighteen People Injured and Only a £4 Food Voucher Offered
In total, 18 passengers were injured in the evacuation, with six requiring hospital treatment—including one female cabin crew member.
Yet so far, none of the injured have received a personal visit from a Ryanair representative.
Instead, many were simply offered a £4 food voucher and a replacement flight. “It’s insulting,” one passenger said.
Ryanair Blames a False Alarm, Downplays Injuries
In a statement, Ryanair claimed the evacuation was triggered by a “false fire warning light” and insisted the evacuation was carried out using emergency slides.
The airline referred to the injuries as “very minor” and said they acted swiftly to arrange a new flight.
“We sincerely apologise to affected passengers,” the statement read.