It was the moment right before the moment of no return.
Multiple birds were sucked into the engine of an American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX about to depart Argyle Airport at Saint Vincent and Grenadines for Miami.
American Airlines flight AA-1427 was anticipated to be travelling at around 280kph, when the decision was made to abort the take-off.
Those onboard got a first hand lesson as to why you should always be strapped in, with the aircraft grinding to a halt before the end of the 2743 metre-long runway.
A replacement aircraft sent to pick up passengers whose travel was disrupted arrived 28 hours later.
American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to the media.
"American Airlines flight 1427 with service from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD) to MIA safely returned to the gate prior to take off due to a possible mechanical issue.
"There were no reported injuries and all passengers were provided with food and hotel accommodations.
"A replacement aircraft was flown in to complete the flight from SVD to MIA. We appreciate our passengers' patience and apologise for any inconvenience."
Video of the incident has been viewed on social media, including on TikTok by tens of thousands of people.
While common, bird strikes can cause serious problems for aircraft.
Arguably the most famous incident including birds would be US Airways Flight 1549.
In 2009, the US Airways flight captained by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles successfully landed their Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in New York after losing power from both engines due to a bird strike taking off from New York City's LaGuardia Airport.
There were no serious injuries in either incident.
