NEWARK, NJ. — An investigation is underway after sparks and debris were spotted streaming out of a United Airlines flight.

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A frightening video shows the incident that happened Wednesday night, shortly after the airliner took off.

Flight number 149 took off from Newark, New Jersey and was headed to Brazil.

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The sparks and debris from the aircraft fell onto parked cars below.

The pilot circled over the Atlantic Ocean for nearly two hours to burn off fuel and lighten the plane, before returning to Newark.

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“Precautionary methodology would be to say, ‘if we’ve got sparks coming off the back maybe we better not dump fuel,’ flying around a little bit to burn the fuel off is the best methodology,” said aviation analyst John Nance.

The plane was carrying 256 passengers and landed safely.

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United Airlines said the jet experienced a mechanical issue with its hydraulics system.

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