A domestic US flight was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine exploded and flames engulfed one side of the aircraft.
Passengers reported that the Airbus A319 was shaking for several minutes before they heard a loud bang and flames lit up one side of the aircraft.
The flight from Dallas to Atlanta suffered a mechanical failure about 20 minutes into the two-hour journey on Tuesday.
Passengers began to call their families leaving final messages after the engine explosion, CBS reported.
A Spirit Airlines spokeswoman told MailOnline today: “Shortly after take-off of flight 165 from DFW to Atlanta the captain received an indication of a possible mechanical issue.
“There was smoke in the cabin. One engine was shut down which is normal procedure under these circumstances. However, this aircraft can operate on one engine.
“Following procedure and as a safety precaution, the plane returned to DFW. It was a normal landing and customers safely deplaned.”
She added: “There were no injuries. We had another plane taking customers to Atlanta.”
Spirit Airlines said it has not determined the cause of the explosion but was investigating.