KEY POINTS:
Victoria Beckham was involved in a terrifying incident aboard an Air New Zealand plane earlier this week which reportedly saw her being shepherded from the aircraft wearing only a pair of standard-issue airline pyjamas.
The former Spice Girls singer was flying to London from Los Angeles on Monday night with two of her children - five-year-old Romeo and three-year-old Cruz - when a bird flew into one of the plane's engines as it taxied down the runway.
The pilot had to quickly apply the brakes, bringing the aircraft to a screeching halt.
A passenger onboard the flight told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "It was really scary when the pilot suddenly slammed on the brakes. We had no idea what was happening and you immediately fear the worst."
"Young children were crying and for a moment I feared it was going to turn into a scene from a disaster movie."
Victoria and her sons were ferried back to the airport separately from the other passengers to give her time to change out of the flight pyjamas she was wearing.
The source added: "I was sitting a few rows back from Victoria and her sons, who were at the front of the plane. Victoria wasn't wearing any make-up and had changed into the pyjamas provided by the airline."
Her husband David and their eldest son, nine-year-old Brooklyn, were not on the flight.
Air New Zealand spokesperson Tracey Palmer confirmed a flight from Los Angeles to London was cancelled after a bird flew into one of its engines on Monday night.
She said there were fire engines at the scene but the aeroplane's engine did not catch fire and - contrary to some reports - the plane was not doused with foam.
Palmer said the event was not common but birds did occasionally fly into aeroplane engines.
No one was injured in the incident and the aircraft has since been inspected by an Air New Zealand engineering team.
- BANG! SHOWBIZ, NZ HERALD STAFF
