Man live-streams terrifying moment plane engine explodes during flight

A passenger onboard a Southwest Airlines flight that suffered engine failure has live-streamed the terrifying ordeal he believed would be his "final moments on Earth".

Marty Martinez was one of 149 people travelling on the Dallas-bound flight at 11.20am (local time) on Tuesday when the plane's left side blew, leaving one dead and a woman partially sucked out of a broken window.

"I literally bought WiFi as the plane was going down because I wanted to be able to reach the people I loved... thinking these were my final moments on Earth," he wrote on Facebook.

Mr Martinez took to Facebook in a series of Facebook Live videos showing the oxygen masks deployed as he stares blankly into the camera.

"Something is wrong with our plane! It appears we are going down! Emergency landing!! Southwest flight from NYC to Dallas!!" he captioned his first post.

The passenger killed was later identified as Jennifer Riordan, a Wells Fargo bank executive and mother of two from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

However, it was not immediately clear if the passenger sucked from the window was the same passenger who was later confirmed dead.

Mr Martinez gave regular updates in the comments section, revealing someone had suffered a heart attack on the plane and that the window was smashed by the exploding engine, resulting in a female passenger needing to be revived after being partially sucked out.

Martinez said objects flew out of the hole where the window had exploded, and "passengers right next to her were holding onto (the woman being sucked out)."

He said there was blood all over a man's hands who was "tending" to the woman.

Mr Martinez revealed flight attendants ran over "calling for passengers to help cover hold as they broke down and began uncontrollably crying and looking horrified as they looked outside."

• One dead, woman 'partially sucked out' of plane after engine failure mid-air

• 'There's a hole and someone went out': Pilot's distressing call to air traffic control

• Man live-streams terrifying moment plane engine explodes during flight

After the plane had "crash landed" he shared a series of photos of the aircraft, including the broken window.

A passenger was taken to the hospital in a critical condition and seven passengers were treated for minor injuries by paramedics.

US National Transport Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt told a news briefing that one person had been killed, but declined to elaborate.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm that there is one fatality resulting from this accident.

"The entire Southwest Airlines Family is devastated and extends its deepest, heartfelt sympathy to the customers, employees, family members and loved ones affected by this tragic event," Southwest said in a statement.