A passenger filming out an airplane window captured part of an engine cowling ripping off during takeoff on a flight in Brazil. Watch above to get an idea of how the terrified passengers – who later described the event as an "engine explosion" – must have felt watching the parts fly off. According to an incident report on The Aviation Herald, it all happened on a TAM Airlines Airbus A320-200 traveling from Natal to São Paulo on Saturday, May 19. There were 166 people on board, many of whom you can hear hurriedly asking questions and yelling during the video. According to the Herald, both the inboard and outboard fan cowl doors of the left engine opened in flight and "were ripped off." Stay tuned until 1:54 to see the extent of the damage. In the end, the pilot managed to return to the airport in Natal without any further problems – but the passengers sure did get a scare.

Filed under: South America, Brazil