Engine falls off passenger plane during takeoff

Terrified passengers were forced to adopt emergency brace positions after an engine fell off their aeroplane during takeoff.

Crash landing procedures were rushed into action when machinery separated from the right wing and plummeted on to the runway.



The Nationwide Boeing 737 plane had been taking off from Cape Town Airport, South Africa, at 3.30pm on Wednesday when the drama unfolded.

The plane, carrying 106 passengers, was continuing to climb as debris fell to the ground and the pilot was instructed to turn back and make an emergency landing. Airport fire and rescue services rushed to the runway to clear the wreckage before the plane came down.



South African businesswoman Ronel Derman, 46, said she had been in a seat directly over the wing. "I heard this huge bang, and the man next to me said: 'That's our engine that's just fallen off'."

The Flight CE723, which had been bound for Johannesburg, eventually touched down safely as passengers braced themselves for a crash landing.