US: Passengers on board an aircraft crippled in mid-air prepared for the worst last night - and one taped a farewell message to his girlfriend.
The JetBlue flight was stranded in the California skies when its front wheels jammed at a 90-degree angle after take off.
Many of the 140 passengers could do little but watch their plight unfold on live television, making desperate calls to relatives.
David Reinitz, a comedian travelling to New York to make a documentary, used his video camera to film his last goodbye.
"We had live coverage up until about 10 minutes before we landed," he said. "That was the scary part, when they cut it off."
Flight 292 left Burbank yesterday afternoon, headed for New York.
Shortly after take off, however, the pilot radioed ground control to say he could not retract the landing gear.
He was diverted to Long Beach, conducting urgent exchanges with officials and asking for emergency equipment.
The aircraft was forced to circle the skies for three hours before making an emergency landing in Los Angeles on its rear wheels.
More than 100 firefighters and paramedics lined the runway to witness the aircraft skid on to the tarmac amid billowing white smoke and flames. No one was hurt.
Alexandra Jacobs, a passenger who is six months pregnant, said the worst part was the fear that her husband and parents might be watching on television.
"It was insane - the sight of the plane from the outside just aroused this feeling that we were going to watch our own demise.
"It was very scary. The flight attendants were shouting 'brace, brace, brace'. It was like a prayer. And then we smelled burning rubber and the plane stopped and a big cheer went up."
Christiana Lund said no one was screaming, but many were crying and praying. When told to brace themselves for impact, she said: "That's when it really hit me that this could be it."
Lisa Schiff (34), Los Angeles, sent a text message to her mother saying: "I love you. Don't worry about me. If something happens, know that I am watching you and Daddy and [ her brother] David." - (PA)