A man from the Wirral feared his plane would burst into 'a big ball of flames' after it encountered 'absolutely terrifying' difficulties during lift off.
Andrew Packham, 55, said he was left 'shaking' when the captain of his Ryanair flight had to perform emergency measures just moments before the plane's wheels lifted from the ground. Andrew was travelling to Rome from Liverpool John Lennon Airport when a 'flock of birds' hit the engine, causing what another passenger described as an 'almighty shuddering'.
He also praised the quick-thinking of the captain, who managed to rescue the flight in a 'fraction of a second' decision after the engine was damaged. He said he didn't even want to think about what would have happened if the birds had hit the engine just moments later, when the plane was in flight.
