THIS is the frightening moment a Boeing passenger plane catches fire after take off – as flames are seen spitting out of the engine.

The Delta Airlines flight’s engine appeared to be ablaze – moments before it was forced to divert back to Los Angeles following the horrifying ordeal.

In the shocking footage, the Boeing 767-400 jet can be seen turning slightly as its left engine erupts with a raging inferno.

The horrified onlooker recording the harrowing footage is heard commenting over the concerning scenes.

They say: “Oh, look at that. Whoa!

“Was that a compressor stall? What’s going on?”

The huge aircraft continues to fly on as the terrifying fireball rages on under the plane’s engine.

The fire broke out as the plane was ascending over the City of Angels.

It was on its way to Atlanta, Georgia, before it was forced to return to its takeoff point.

The pilots managed to circle back before landing safely back on the runway.

Later on in the footage, the plane is seen descending back onto the tarmac.

Its landing gear thankfully comes down before the jet lands and the engine appears to be free from anymore flames.

Emergency vehicles are then seen rushing towards the aircraft in order to provide assistance.

And the jet was finally seen being escorted off of the runway back to its bay.

A spokesperson for Delta Airlines told BBC: “Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure following an indication of an issue with the aircraft’s left engine.”

The chilling footage was captured by YouTube channel LA Flights which is run by Josh and Peter.

The horrifying footage emerged after another Delta Airlines flight was diverted when a passenger reportedly brought a dangerous item onboard that caused a fire.

Screams rang out, smoke clouded the seats, and flight attendants rushed to grab an extinguisher after the mid-air blaze broke out, one flyer on the plane revealed.

Delta confirmed that flight 1334, which was a Boeing 757 traveling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted because of a battery fire on Monday.

The airline said that attendants “worked quickly” to extinguish a battery belonging to a customer that had spontaneously combusted, a spokesperson told USA Today.