The engine of a British Airways plane burst into flames while taking off a runway at an airport in Arizona, forcing the packed aircraft to make an emergency landing.
Video shows the dramatic moment when the London bound flight begins to emit sparks from its engine.
BA later said in a statement that the problem had occurred after the Boeing 747 left the runway due to a technical issue with one of its four engines, according to Fox 10.
The plane was forced to return to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and was reported to have landed safely.
The Boeing 747 takes off from an airport in Phoenix with it’s engine releasing sparks, pictured
While the technical failure was without incident, for passengers inside the BA 288 flight, the experience was slightly nerve-racking.
Oonagh Ledford, from County Down, Norther Ireland, told the Sun that an announcement of an emergency landing came twenty minutes into the flight.
She said: ‘The captain said the right engine had to be shut down as it overheated.
‘He said that accounted for the flames which some people on the right side of the plane may have seen.’
The British Airways London bound flight took off from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, pictured
The flight takes off from Phoenix, pictured, but was only twenty minutes in the air when it was forced into an emergency landing
The plane, pictured, had to circle the Phoenix area, dumping fuel while waiting for permission to land
The plane is reported to have circled the area, dumping fuel until it was allowed to land.
Dumping fuel is a standard procedure that occurs when planes need to make an emergency landing because it lessens the aircraft’s weight.
The cause of the problem, however, is unknown.
BA has been reached out to for further comment.