US flight goes up in flames moments before jetting down the runway

Passengers on board a Delta airways flight in Nashville yesterday were forced to evacuate the jet after it burst into flames moments before setting off down the runway.

The SkyWest passenger jet caught fire while full of passengers and sitting on the Tarmac at Nashville International Airport in Tennessee on Friday.

The plane was ready and waiting to taxi down the runway when the pilot switched on the engine, which immediately erupted into flames.

The incident happened in full view of passengers waiting in the departure lounge who took pictures of the event and posted them to social media.

“(The) awkward moment when your plane catches on fire,” joked one witness on Twitter.

The fire was contained and extinguished once the engine was turned off and no one was injured in the incident.

Michael Thomas, a Delta airways spokesperson told CNN the plane "experienced a brief flame upon startup" due to a "small excess fuel in the tailpipe of the engine being expunged from the rear of the engine."

All passengers were booked onto alternative flights.