Qantas engine 747-400 explodes mid-air after take off from San Francisco- Sydney(01/09/2010)

Dramatic mobile phone footage taken onboard a Qantas jet shows sparks flying past cabin windows moments after the pilot announced an engine had blown up.

Qantas Flight 74, carrying 212 passengers, left San Francisco at 11.05pm on Monday local time (4.04pm Tuesday AEST) and was headed for Sydney when the engine malfunctioned.

"I heard a thud, a bump and the plane veered off to the left," passenger Nolan

"It was very uncertain for a period of time until the captain announced that we had an engine that blew up ... it was a real uncomfortable vibration at first and then the plane began to shake a bit."

Photographs show a gaping hole in the engine while video aired on TODAY shows a stream of sparks flying past windows.

Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton said the sparks were caused by an engine surge but he insisted there was no fire.

The pilots flew two wide circles over the Pacific to decrease the weight of the plane before turning back to San Francisco for an emergency landing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

San Francisco airport duty manager Carol Spear said the plane landed safely at 12.45am Tuesday local time (5.45pm AEST) and there were no injuries.

She said Qantas put the passengers up in local hotels for the night and would make arrangements for them to leave for Sydney today.

She did not know if passengers were able to walk off the plane or had to use chutes.

It is not clear yet what caused the engine problems.

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