FRIGHTENED passengers watched on as crew members tried to find a fault in their plane just minutes before it was due to land at Southampton.

Police shut the M27 as the stricken Flybe aircraft circled above the city, while the runway at Southampton Airport was lined with emergency services.

People on board looked on as the pilot and his crew desperately tried to pinpoint the problem by shining torches through the cabin windows at the wings One of Britain’s brightest young sports stars was a passenger on the Embraer 195 jet developed a technical fault just ten minutes from touching down.

Eve Muirhead, whose curling team competed at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, was flying to the city from Edinburgh for her uncle’s wedding.

The 21-year-old described how some of the 53 passengers were visibly distressed as the aircraft began to repeatedly circle above Southampton at around 10pm on Wednesday.

On the ground, the busy M27, bordering the airport, was closed by police while fire engines and ambulances flanked the runway in case of an emergency landing.

Eve told the Daily Echo: “I fly a lot. But this was easily the most frightening experience I have had in an aeroplane.

“We were told there was a technical fault and that the landing flaps were jammed.

“I did not know how bad it was, but when I saw all the blue lights flashing and emergency services on the ground, and the fact that the motorway had been closed, I knew it had been taken seriously.”

In the end the plane made a bumpy but safe landing.

A spokeswoman from Flybe said a “minor technical fault” was to blame for the incident. The exact nature of the problem has not been revealed.

She added: “The captain took the necessary precautionary action and the aircraft landed safely without further incident with passengers disembarking as normal.

“The safety of its passengers and crew is the airline’s number one priority and Flybe regrets any inconvenience experienced.”