Perhaps in a pre-digital age, when a wheel fell off an aircraft, passengers would have maybe told the crew, prayed, ordered some whisky, closed their eyes.
Not any more...
Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to capture a potentially dangerous moment, a passenger on this particular flight took this picture:
The incident took place in the UK this afternoon, when a Flybe-owned Bombardier Q 400 lost a wheel shortly after take-off from Exeter en route to Newcastle.
The picture was quickly sent to a local TV station in the North East of England and posted on Twitpic.
The aircraft landed safely back at Exeter after spending 90 minutes burning off fuel. The airline confirmed later that the wheel fell off during retraction of the landing gear, 39 passengers and four crew were on-board, and the aircraft made an emergency landing.
Would such a picture have been taken in years gone by, when the instant gratification of knowing it'll be plastered around social networks and the media within minutes or hours?
Possibly not.