Coming in for landing - on beach-goers' heads

Mind your heads - Pawa Dominicana flight flies in low as it prepares to land at one of the "scariest" runways in the world. Photo / YouTube

This is the jaw-dropping moment a passenger jet flew just feet above holidaymakers' heads on its approach to one of the "scariest" runways in the world.

The incredible footage was shot by a tourist who was standing at a safe distance as the plane flew low over Maho Beach as it landed on the Caribbean island of St Maarten.

Maho Beach is one of the world's best plane-spotting locations, with thousands of brave holidaymakers flocking there every day to stand directly under the flight path as passenger jets buzz overhead.

Footage shows the Pawa Dominicana flight approaching Princess Juliana International Airport and, as the videomaker pans out, flying just above those gathered on the beach on a sunny day in January.

Onlookers scream and cheer as the jet engines rumble in the background.

Crowds gather on a daily basis to snap selfies and record video of low-flying aircraft.

Signs warn visitors that jet blast from arriving and departing planes can cause serious injury or even death.

Princess Juliana airport is the second-busiest airport in the eastern Caribbean region and its runway is less than half the length of those found at many international airports.

With the packed beach situated just outside the airport's boundary, it offers a challenge to pilots who are behind the controls of aircraft such as the Boeing 747.

Thrillseekers have also been known to hold onto a chain-link fence when a jet is preparing for take-off so they are blasted by the engines and lifted off the ground.

- Daily Mail