Horror as airplane engine sucks up luggage truck and rips it apart in front of passengers

This is the moment passengers were left horrified after sucked up a luggage truck and ripped it apart in front of their eyes.

The had just landed at Chicago's O'Hare airport after setting off from Heathrow when the incident happened. Footage showed the jet moving along the taxiway toward Terminal 5 at about 3pm on Thursday when a luggage truck was seen close to the plane.

The luggage truck was then seen being sucked into the jet's right engine and within seconds was ripped apart. Despite the jet being "severely damaged" no one was reported to have been injured.

It is believed the truck might have unhooked from a separate vehicle that was pulling it across the taxiway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now launched an investigation into the incident, reported.

The outlet said the damaged contained appeared to be an AKE Unit Load Device, a cargo container typically used in the aviation industry for transporting luggage and cargo. Photos taken shortly after the incident shows chunks of the truck were stuck inside the engine.

There were also several visible dents on the engine. An airport employee was seen assessing the damage to the aircraft.

A spokesperson told the outlet: "The crew of American Airlines Flight 47 reported an engine issue while taxiing to the gate at Chicago O’Hare International Airport around 4 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 17. The passengers deplaned normally. The Boeing 787-9 was traveling from Heathrow Airport in London.”

An American Airlines spokesperson told Aviation A2Z: "After safely landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), American Airlines flight 47, with service from London-Heathrow (LHR), reported damage to its engine while taxiing to the gate at ORD.

"The aircraft has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. Safety is our top priority, and we thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”

Chicago's O'Hare airport is one of the busiest in the US and welcomes millions of passengers every year. According to government statistics, Chicago airports welcomed a total of 95.9 million passengers in 2023 - with an 8.1 per cent on-year increase being recorded at O'Hare.