These were the dramatic scenes on board a Qantas 747 when one of its engines nearly exploded soon after take-off.
The pilot on board the San Francisco to Sydney flight told passengers the emergency was keeping the flight deck 'a tad busy'.
Flight QF74, with 212 passengers on board for the 15-hour journey, was forced to circle over the Pacific for an hour while the pilot dumped its fuel.
It then returned to San Francisco on Monday night.
None of the passengers were hurt.
It is thought a piece of metal broke off from the engine, smashing into its turbine and causing a huge stream of sparks.
A photograph taken after the plane landed showed a large gash in the fuselage.
The crew immediately shut down the engine. Fire engines surrounded the aircraft as it landed.
Passenger Justin Roberts captured the images on an iPhone. He was sitting by a window overlooking the aircraft's engine number four when the drama happened
