A SHOCKED holidaymaker has described the terrifying moment when an aeroplane’s engine exploded after a bird flew into it

Macclesfield father-of-two Rod Price, 59, was on an Airbus A320 flight from Spain, travelling along the runway at 115mph, when he heard the engine burst into flames – just seconds before take-off.

The Monarch Airlines pilot, from Manchester, was forced to slam on the brakes as he reached high speeds at Murcia-San Javier Airport.

Rod, of Lansdowne Street, Hurdsfield, said: "We set off down the runway and seconds before lift off there was an almighty noise from the left engine followed by clouds of smoke and flames.

"The captain aborted the take-off and we were virtually forced into the brace position as he managed to stop the plane before the end of the runway. There was silence for a moment – then the captain told us not to panic as the engine was not on fire.

"The cause was a seagull which had flown into the engine itself. It was a scary moment as you can imagine. The plane was surrounded by all the emergency services and eventually we were towed back to the terminal building."

Rod, chairman of the Prestbury Village Club, added: "It happens so quickly you don’t get time to think about it until you get off the plane. I just thought I’m still here, it mustn’t be my time. It happens all of a sudden – it’s frightening."

The retired AstraZeneca worker added: "I must say the captain did a fantastic job by reacting so fast and avoiding a disaster.

"When you get back on the plane to go home after that, you have all these things running through your mind, such as the Air France crash and the one in America which landed in the river.

"It makes you think."

Rod and friends Dave Wilkinson, 56, of Elm Rise, Prestbury, and Steve Bridge, 60, of Macclesfield Road, Prestbury, had been on a golfing holiday on the Costa Blanca. The friends bravely boarded a later flight home after their ill-fated first attempt.

The trio all described how the hair-raising event was "over in seconds" with stunned passengers silenced by the incident.

Dave, who works with Steve at Fit Right Security based in Prestbury, said: "When it happened I was thinking ‘How can I get out of here?’ Before, everyone was talking on the plane and the kids were making noise, but afterwards it just fell deathly silent."

Steve added: "It happens so fast, you don’t have time to realise what’s going on."

A spokeswoman for Monarch said: "The flight operating between Murcia and Manchester at 19.50pm on June 8, sustained a bird strike during take off in Murcia. The aircraft, an Airbus A320 carrying 175 passengers, was travelling along the runway at approximately 100 knots – 115mph – when a bird flew into one of its engines.

"The captain, who is based in Manchester, aborted take off and brought the aircraft to a stop before requesting it be towed back onto stand where passengers were disembarked. As a precautionary measure, emergency services were in attendance."