Fearless cameraman captures exhilarating close encounter with departing passenger jet

A fearless cameraman has captured a jaw-dropping close encounter with a departing commercial airliner.

Video uploaded online by YouTube user pushed40 on October 11 from Princess Juliana Airport on the Caribbean island of St Maarten shows the Insel MD-80 twin engine airliner soaring just metres over the heads of bystanders.

“Awesome!”, the man filming the clip exclaims as the jet takes off into the sunset.

“See that? That was worth losing my hat over.”

The airport has become famous among aviation enthusiasts, with take-offs and landings taking place nail-bitingly close to the popular Maho tourist beach.

St Maarten is a small 87 sq km island in the Caribbean, divided in two between France and the Netherlands.