This is the terrifying moment a plane skids along the runway on its nose after its landing gear collapsed.

The Russian Antonov An-24 turboprop was attempting to land in Kirensk, Irkutsk Oblast, on May 26 with 46 passengers on board when the front wheel snapped off.

Horrifying CCTV footage from the airport shows the Angara Airlines plane losing control, trailing a shower of sparks as the fuselage scraped along the tarmac.

Passengers said they saw the plane veer off the runway and head straight towards a petrol station just outside the airport.

One passenger, Marina Sinkova, said: 'A sharp nose-down tilt, a jolt, and then a grinding noise as the metal fuselage scraped along the asphalt.

'I looked out the window and saw sparks burst out from under the front of the aircraft.

'Women and children were screaming 'Mother!' out of fear.'

'When it became clear what was happening, there was only one thought in my head, 'Please don't let the plane crash into the petrol station'.

'Then, when I looked out of the window again, the plane stopped. There was a grass around. Thank goodness it was over. We're alive!'

The plane came to rest nose-down in the grass after the pilot ordered an emergency evacuation for the passengers and five crew members.

Authorities said the aircraft had been on a one-hour and 40-minute shuttle flight from Irkutsk.

The East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office, investigating air safety negligence, confirmed the nose gear collapsed, causing the plane to overshoot the runway. No injuries were reported.

Rosaviatsia, the Federal Air Transport Agency, classified the incident as a serious aviation event and launched an investigation.

The airport reopened shortly afterwards.

The 1950s-designed Soviet-era Antonov An-24 has one of the worst safety records in the world.

Official data show that since entering service in 1957, it has been involved in 159 crashes, causing more than 2,000 fatalities.