Terrifying moment a propeller smashes through a plane window after hitting a bird

Passengers were left terrified when their plane’s propeller flew off and ripped through the cabin, leaving a trail of damaged seats and debris.

A propeller smashed through the window of a plane after it hit a bird, terrifying on-board passengers.

The bird hit the engine with such force that the propeller went straight through the cabin and across to the opposite side of the aircraft.

Incredibly, no passengers were hurt in the ordeal.

The Jetstream 41 was approaching Venetia Mine in South Africa when the bird struck the propeller on the right side.

The propeller rammed through the side of the plane. Picture: Twitter

Miraculously nobody was sitting in the seats impacted. Picture: Twitter

The blade snapped off, penetrating the side of the aircraft.

Miraculously however, the propeller hit an area of the cabin which was unoccupied.

Its force and trajectory saw it then hurtle across the cabin and smash into a passenger window, destroying the window pane on the opposite side of the fuselage.

The debris created from the propeller shows splinters of wood across the cabin. Amazingly, no one was hurt and the plane landed safely.

The incident left a trail of destruction through the cabin. Picture: Twitter

The Johannesburg airline, Airlink, issued a statement which said: “Yesterday an Airlink Jetstream 41 aircraft operating a private charter flight struck a large bird upon landing at Venetia airfield.

“None of the passengers or crew were injured although the aircraft sustained substantial damage.

“In compliance with aviation protocols and regulations, the occurrence was reported to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) which will conduct an investigation.

“The aircraft remains at Venetia airfield pending the SACAA’s inspection and a full damage assessment.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission