Plane engine spits flames immediately after take-off

‘I spun around to see the flames shooting out of the left engine’

A passenger plane bound for China had to abort its journey when flames started spitting from the engine shortly after take-off from Washington DC.

Air China flight 818 was flying from Washington Dulles Airport in the American capital to Beijing on 17 September when the drama unfolded.

Video of the Boeing 777 aircraft shows flames blasting from the engine as it gains height.

It returned to the airport just over an hour after take-off.

A witness told Viral Hog: "Upon locking up our Gulfstream following a flight from Las Vegas to DC, I heard a very loud bang.

‘'I spun around to see the flames shooting out of the left engine of the 777. Realising they were experiencing compressor stalls, I took out my phone and started videoing."

The flight eventually landed in the Chinese capital at 05.53 local time, over 12 hours late.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Associated Press that it had landed safely after reporting an engine fire, and that its pilot had been in contact with air traffic control at all times.

A spokeswoman for Air China said passengers were re-booked on other flights.

Last week, an Ethiopian Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after take-off when the engine caught fire.

The jet had just ascended from Dakar, Senegal, for Bamako in Mali when the pilot realised one of the plane engines was ablaze.

The Boeing 767 then returned immediately to Dakar.