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Flight To Manchester, NH Lands After Flames Shoot Out Of Engine

BOSTON (CBS) – There was a scare in the air for passengers on a flight from Philadelphia to Manchester, New Hampshire Monday morning.

Video shot by passenger John Vien Jr. shows flames shooting out of an engine.

"All of a sudden there was a large and loud bang, Bang!" Vien said. "And flames shot by my window, and then about five seconds later the same thing, Boom! Flames shot by my window and at this point like people on the plane thought that we were going to die."

Airplane flame
Flames shoot out of airplane engine. (Image from John Vien Jr.)

Vien's mother, father and sister were all on board heading back to the family home in Chichester, New Hampshire.

"It was like seeing death right there," Vien said. "All I could picture was like in the movies when you see the flames shoot out of the side of the airplane and it just comes over and you're done."

Republic Airlines Flight 5927, operating as US Airways Express, returned to Philadelphia International Airport because of the engine issue.

John thought they were landing in the water but somehow they made it back despite the crippled engine.

"It was the most terrifying experience of my life," Vien said. "I thought I was going to die."

"I was just waiting for the next explosion to happen and just wipe me out," he said. "When we landed everybody applauded, it was like a standing ovation."

The Embraer 175 landed safely and all 75 passengers were put on a different flight.

The airline is investigating what happened.

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