THE airliner circled Southern California for hours, crippled by a faulty landing gear, while, inside its cabin, 140 horrified passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television.

Terrified passengers on board a plane crippled in mid-air prepared for the worst last night, and one taped a farewell message to his girlfriend.

A JetBlue airliner with faulty landing gear touched down safely at Los Angeles International Airport after circling the region for three hours with its front wheels turned sideways, unable to be retracted into the plane.

A light aircraft plunged into a three-storey block of flats near Hollywood, killing at least two people, including the pilot.