Horror flight leaves plane with crushed nose and smashed windscreen

If you’re scared of flying, look away now.

Terrifying images have revealed the extent of the damage to a packed aircraft caught in the middle of a brutal hailstorm.

American Airlines flight 1897 was forced to make an emergency landing earlier this week after hailstones smashed in the windshield and caved in the nose of the plane.

There were 130 passengers and five crew members on board the Sunday night flight from San Antonio to Phoenix – some of whom were left vomiting during the terror flight.

One of the pilots said they could barely see through the windshield. The flight was forced to divert to El Paso.

Passenger Jesus Esparza told KENS-TV in San Antonio he saw lightning and hail as the plane dropped “like a rollercoaster”.

He said he gave his sickness bag to another passenger who had already used one.

“I could see people starting to panic and crying and I couldn’t breathe,” another woman added.

An airline spokesman said on Monday the plane was awaiting repairs for damage to the nose, windshield panels and a cockpit side window.

He said the engines, including the fan blades, were not damaged.

Another plane finished the trip to Phoenix a few hours later.