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Shocking footage shows plane's engine fall apart mid-flight

Passengers have described the shocking moment they watched the left engine of their plane fall apart mid-flight.

The Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Diego was carrying 176 passengers and six crew members on Tuesday when it was forced to make an emergency landing due to the engine's cover, known as the cowling, becoming loose.

The cowling on the left engine of an Alaska Airlines plane flying off.
The cowling on the left engine of an Alaska Airlines plane became loose mid-flight, triggering an emergency landing. Source: Twitter/Greg Anderson

Alaksa Airlines said in a statement that the crew on board Flight 558 had reported an "unusual vibration" on the aircraft shortly after take-off, according to 9News.

Greg Anderson was on the plane at the time and he told CNN he also heard a heard a little pop before the vibration started.

The Alaksa Airlines engine after the cowling was ripped off.
As the plane was landing, the cowling, which was flapping in the air, actually ripped off. Source: Twitter/Jacqueline Stonas

It was during the emergency landing that the piece of the plane actually ripped off, which some passengers captured on social media.

"Crazy crazy. I was on this flight," one person said.

Luckily no one was hurt and the jet landed safely at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Alaskan Airlines reiterated in a statement that the aircraft had landed safely.

The airline's statement praised the pilots and flight attendants in how they handled the incident, as well as the passenger's patience during the frightening event.

"The two pilots who operated the flight have more than 32 years of combined flying experience," the airline said, according to CNN.

"They, along with our flight attendants, handled the incident with tremendous professionalism and care."

Engineers are now investigating what happened, it has been reported.

Flight runs out of fuel over the ocean

Earlier this month, a Ghana-bound Delta Airlines aircraft ran out of fuel mid-flight.

Arieh Smith, a YouTuber, was flying to the West African country when it suddenly made a U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean and headed back to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport where it had left just two hours earlier.

"Very sorry but we have a fuel issue we're going to need to return to New York," the captain announced according to Mr Smith.

A flight attendant confirmed it was a "fuel leak".

The passengers were freaked out by the announcement and Mr Smith even filmed himself saying his last goodbyes, just in case.

However, the plane made it safely back to the tarmac.

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