Frightening Footage Shows Moment Delta Flight Suffers “Catastrophic” Engine Failure

Delta flight 104 returned to São Paulo International Airport “shortly after takeoff” following the issue.

The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300, was carrying 272 passengers and 14 crew members on board.

“Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 (N813NW) suffered a catastrophic left engine failure just after rotation from São Paulo-Guarulhos on March 29. Explosions and flames trailed the aircraft, with debris sparking a brush fire near the runway. Check at 40sec,” X account Turbine Traveller wrote.

Footage below:

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 (N813NW) suffered a catastrophic left engine failure just after rotation from São Paulo-Guarulhos on March 29. Explosions and flames trailed the aircraft, with debris sparking a brush fire near the runway.
Check at 40secpic.twitter.com/zy0gH7dfof

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 30, 2026

The Hill shared further:

Upon landing, the airplane was met with airport rescue and firefighting teams, with passengers then taken by bus to the terminal, Delta said. The airline also noted that the flight crew followed procedures to shut down the engine during the return to the airport, as the aircraft’s instrumentation showed a mechanical engine fire caution message.

Delta added that it was working to reaccommodate customers to get them safely to their destinations.

The plane spent 46 minutes in the air before touching back down in São Paulo, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. It is now scheduled to depart Brazil at 9:59 p.m. EDT Monday and arrive in Atlanta at 7:28 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

Footage shared by Breaking Aviation News & Videos showed the terrifying moment from inside the aircraft.

“Delta Flight 104 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta returned to the airport shortly after takeoff on Sunday night after a mechanical problem with the aircraft’s left engine. The Airbus A330-300 landed safely and was met by the airport firefighting team (ARFF), and the passengers were taken by bus to the terminal. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority. We apologize to our customers for this delay in their travels,” the airline said in a statement.

Watch below:

Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-323 returns safely to Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport after failure of its left engine shortly after departure.

In a statement the airline said, "Delta Flight 104 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta returned to the airport shortly after takeoff on… pic.twitter.com/VMTOVOfK2j

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) March 30, 2026

USA TODAY noted:

The cause of the engine issue was not immediately known. The Federal Aviation Administration defered questions about the aircraft to South American officials.

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