Passengers on board a CityJet flight from London to Florence knew something bad was up when they heard a loud bang shortly after their 7:25 a.m. takeoff.
Bad turned to worse when they looked out the window and saw that a section of wing had become detached and was swinging wildly in the air.
UK Telegraph journalist Cole Moreton was a passenger on the Avro RJ85 carrying 61 people and posted video of the broken wing on YouTube.
“On takeoff there was a strange noise then a bang and a 6-foot-plus section of the left wing that looked like suddenly came loose and hung down, flapping in the jet stream,” Moreton said.
“It seemed hydraulic pistons had snapped as they were flapping too. Passengers were alarmed and told the cabin staff, who appeared to inform the captain.”
The plane was forced to return to London City Airport and make an emergency landing.
No one was injured during the incident.
“The WX 281 flight had just taken off from London City Airport on its way to Florence when the cover of the operating mechanism on the wing became partially detached,” CityJet said in a statement released to the media.
This article originally appeared on News.com.au.