Engine trouble forces aborted take-off on Rex flight from Adelaide to Broken Hill

Flames and smoke coming from a plane engine have been captured in footage filmed by a passenger moments after a take-off was aborted on Wednesday morning.

The Rex flight was preparing to leave Adelaide for Broken Hill when a fault indicator signalled a problem with the left engine, which was shut down but some fuel inside caught fire.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Fire on a Rex plane bound for Broken Hill

The footage taken from inside the plane showed flames and smoke coming from the engine.

Passengers had to disembark the flight on the taxiway and were bussed back to the terminal, as the plane was returned to its bay.

“This morning, a Rex plane due to depart to Broken Hill reported a fault while on the runway and the plane was taken back to its bay,” an Adelaide Airport spokesperson confirmed.

“This impacted operations with the runway closed for about 20 minutes. Normal operations resumed at 8am.”

No injuries were reported.

Passenger Mark Goodger was on board and told his wife Julia the incident was “a bit scary” but the budget airline handled it well.

“They had to evacuate on the tarmac,” Julia Goodger told 7NEWS.com.au.

“He’s got a refund and so did others. Not flying today!”

The low-cost carrier is working with affected passengers to rebook flights.

Rex confirmed the incident occurred on flight ZL4818 from Adelaide to Broken Hill, which experienced a cockpit indication associated with the aircraft’s left engine during take-off.

“The crew followed standard operating procedures, rejecting the take-off and safely vacating the runway,” a Rex spokesperson said.

“In accordance with standard operating procedures, crew shut down the left engine and as a result a small amount of unburnt fuel ignited in the left-hand engine’s exhaust pipe for a brief period.”

Passengers disembarked on the taxiway via the forward stairs under crew supervision, and buses were arranged to take them back to the terminal.

“All passengers have been re-accommodated on alternate services.”

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed it is investigating the incident, describing it as an “engine failure on take-off”.

“As reported to the ATSB, during the aircraft’s take-off roll for a scheduled flight to Broken Hill, the crew observed engine warnings for the left engine and aborted the take-off.

“During the aborted take-off procedure, the engine failed.”

The aircraft was able to vacate the runway, and passengers and crew disembarked without further incident.

As part of the investigation, ATSB investigators will review the flight’s recorded data, interview the crew and other relevant parties, and gather maintenance and other relevant records and documentation for the aircraft.

The ATSB is also calling for anyone with video footage of the incident to contact them via the witness form on its website.