This is the terrifying moment a plane crashed during a failed landing injuring 12 people at an airport in Colombia.

The pilot of the police jet was trying to touch down at the Vanguardia airport in Villavicencio when he appeared to abort the landing on Wednesday afternoon April 13 at 1pm.

Footage from the control tower shows how the Basler BT-67 appeared to glide through the air before suddenly veering to the left and crashing into woodland.

Onlookers suggested the brave pilot ditched the aircraft to avoid overshooting the runway and crashing into homes.

Emergency crews arrived at the wreckage and found four crew and 10 uniformed police. Officials said that 12 people were injured - one of them seriously - while the other two emerged unscathed.

Police Colonel Jose James Roa Castaneda said crash investigators are now investigating what caused the failed landing.

He said: ‘The pilot’s maneuvers allowed the plane to reach the top of the runway. The causes of the failure are still under investigation by experts from the authorities.’

The plane, registration number PNC-0257, reportedly took off from Florencia, Caqueta, and was stopping in Villavicencio, Meta, to re-fuel and collect several more passengers.

Officials said the aircraft, a model of a refurbished Douglas DC-3 jet, sustained substantial damage to the nose, wings and undercarriage following the crash.

The twin-propeller Douglas DC-3 had its first flight in 1935 and production ended in 1942. The company later merged with Boeing.

There are around 170 of the now-modified DC-3 jets still in service - mainly for cargo, military and for use as commercial planes in remote locations.