Terrified passengers left screaming and crying after engine cover rips apart during take-off

Passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight were left screaming and crying in terror after noticing that the plane's engine cover had been ripped off during take-off.

Fearing the worst, some reportedly started calling their loved ones to say goodbye.

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Reporter Brandon Rittiman, whose friend was on the flight, described the chaos on the plane: "People were 'jumping up screaming, slamming on the roof. Yelling stop'."

The flight from Las Vegas to Tampa, Florida carrying more than 160 passengers and crew on board was forced to turn around after pilots realised what was happening. The plane landed safely at 7.27am on Friday (Nov 30), just 15 minutes after taking off. 

Frontier Airlines spokesperson Allison Redmon said a section of the engine cover, called the cowling, had come loose and separated from the plane. She told 10News: "Safety is our top priority at Frontier Airlines, and we would like to acknowledge the professionalism of our pilots and flight attendants. We are working to get our passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

But the drama didn't end there. Twitter users were left unimpressed by the offer of a free breakfast voucher given to passengers after they deplaned.

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TV anchor Dan Ponce posted a photo of the damaged engine cover on Twitter, sharing that his aunt who was on the flight received a breakfast voucher after the plane landed.

Ponce wrote: "WHOA! My aunt snapped this pic of a shredded engine on Frontier flight 260 from Vegas to Tampa. The plane was able to turn around and land. She says all passengers got a free breakfast voucher."

Here's how some users responded.

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Other commenters felt people were overreacting to the incident and what they considered to be suitable compensation.

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However, Ponce later updated to say that Frontier Airlines reimbursed his aunt for the flight "and added a $500 voucher for future travel", which was also given to other affected passengers.

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ALSO READ: 1 dead after engine explodes midair on Southwest Airlines flight

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