A plane travelling from Scotland made a dramatic emergency landing Tuesday evening into Belfast International Airport after one of its engines caught fire.
An emergency was declared at the airport after the plane, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, was diverted on its way from Glasgow to Belfast City airport, twenty miles to the east.
Smoke billows from a Flybe flight as it makes an emergency landing @BelfastAirport http://t.co/QPzInnwfR7 pic.twitter.com/WhQlDYF9yK— Conor Shanley (@Conor_utv) December 16, 2014
Passenger Billy Pollack captured a video of flight BE130's emergency landing.
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I've flown hundreds of thousands of miles but I've never experienced anything like this before," Pollack told The Belfast Telegraph.
"The plane had a problem in Glasgow and we had to get off and get back on again for the half-hour flight. About 10 minutes in I looked out the window and saw an engine on fire. Stewards contacted the captain and he switched the engine off."
Another person on the flight said there was a lot of apprehension among passengers but no hysteria.
"We were about half over from Glasgow and there was a visible shudder throughout the plane and those on the left-hand side behind the engine clearly saw it burst into flames," passenger Quentin Oliver explained.
"Some of them described it as a burning rocket with shooting flames out the back."
Images from @FlyBe emergency @BelfastAirport Thx for the safe landing but Comms need improvement? @TiernanTime pic.twitter.com/FJFp713l2Z— Quintin Oliver (@QuintinOliver) December 16, 2014
Other passengers expressed relief that the ordeal was over.
Lucky to be alive tonight. Plane engine caught fire over the sea. Serious credit to the pilots and crew, great job— Simon Tiernan (@TiernanTime) December 16, 2014
Think I will get the ferry next time #flybebelfast pic.twitter.com/3qJYy8rHu3— Simon Tiernan (@TiernanTime) December 16, 2014
Passengers told local media that those evacuating the plane through the back door had to jump as there were no steps.
NIAS at emergency landing at Belfast International Airport. 76 passengers and 4 crew safely disembarked and being assessed.— NIAS (@NI_Amb_Service) December 16, 2014
In a statement, Flybe said the plane was diverted due to a small engine fire, which it said was extinguished before landing.
"Passengers disembarked the aircraft safely and will be transferred on to Belfast City Airport by road transport," it said.
"At no time was the safety and wellbeing of passengers compromised."