Stansted: Holidaymakers on a jet forced to make an emergency landing at Stansted Airport told how one of its engines was "caught in a ball of flames".

Mr Gerry Callanan, 40, who was travelling with his wife, Alison, 37, on Friday, November 16, on the Monarch Airbus A321-200 from Luton Airport to Tenerife, spoke of his ordeal.

He said after take-off there was a huge bang seconds later, and the left engine burst into flames. Everyone was panicking.

Mr Callanan, a retail manager in Watford, said he had fears about flying because an American plane had crashed during take-off days earlier.

His friend, Mr Warren Scar, 35, who was travelling with the couple, and works with Mr Callanan in Watford, said: "We were very nervous about flying because of the New York plane that burst into flames, and to make it worse, our seats were positioned near the engine.

"At 8am, we took off from Luton Airport and suddenly there was a loud bang and a big flash and sparks flying, and we were now flying very low. I was very scared. It was scarier for us because of where we were sitting.

"At 8.30am half an hour later, we landed in Stansted Airport in London. We were told the plane could not go back to Luton because it was carrying so much fuel, and the runway was not long enough.

Relieved to be alive, he said: "We were lucky the weather stayed calm, God knows what would have happened if it did not. I am disappointed we were never told why the engine burst into flames that day. We have written to the company but have heard nothing so far."

He said after the engine blew up and the plane landed, a steward told him it had never happened before. But, when he got on the next plane, a steward told another passenger that a bird caused the engine to burst into flames.

He said: "I find that hard to believe. If that happened every time a bird flew into engine, flying would never be safe. I think it was said to calm passengers down."

A Monarch Airline spokeswoman said: "The cause of the emergency landing was an engine failure which caused the captain to shut down. The engine is now removed from the aircraft and has gone to Scotland, to our engineer hangar."

November 30, 2001 16:30