Wing falling off
Wing falling offYoutube

It's definitely not what you want to see when you order a window seat.

Not longer after takeoff passengers on a flight from London to the Italian city of Florence noticed a piece of their plane's wing had simply... fallen off.

One of the 60 passengers aboard the Avro RJ85 plane recorded footage of the six-foot long section of the aircraft's left wing flapping perilously, as it circled the Thames estuary before making an emergency landing back at London City Airport.

Cole Moreton, a features writer at the Telegraph who was on board, described passengers' reactions.

"The bang made people jump and was alarming then we sat there thinking this isn't right, surely?" he told the Telegraph.

"Does the pilot know? But we didn't appear to be crashing. So there was a tense few minutes while we circled and waited for an announcement. Relief to get back on the ground, seriousness sunk in when we saw emergency services scrambled and lights flashing."

A CityJet spokesman said: "The WX281 flight had just taken off from London City Airport on its way to Florence when the cover of the operating mechanism on the wing became partially detached.

"The crew followed their standard procedures and, after a discussion with CityJet maintenance control, decided to return to London City Airport.

"Air traffic control were notified and the aircraft returned making a normal approach and landing. Passengers were redirected on another aircraft and departed with a two-hour delay."