Authorities in Germany are scrambling to find out how the cargo door of an aircraft opened while the plane was in the air.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, which involved a cargo flight operated by international freight company DHL.
The Boeing 757-200 was flying from Leipzig to Frankfurt and had been in the air for just 15 minutes when the door is said to have opened.
Small parts of the aircraft then fell to the ground from a height of 5300 feet, landing near the Schkopau Power Station, which is located just a few kilometres from Leipzig/Halle Airport.
The crew onboard turned the plane around and made an emergency landing back in Leipzig where it came to a stop on the runway to be inspected.
No one was injured in the incident.
