Dramatic footage filmed by a passenger shows how flames spewed from the engine of a vintage aircraft, which shook violently moments before crashing near Pretoria.

Two people died and two pilots were critically injured when the plane - a Convair 340 that first flew in 1954 and once ferried passengers on luxury air safaris – crashed on July 10 just outside Wonderboom airport.

The three-minute clip shows the terrifying final moments of the aircraft’s descent. “It’s getting bad. This is getting very bad,” one of the passengers can be heard saying.

“Why are we shaking like this,” asks another.

The iPhone video, obtained by news.com.au was filmed by a passenger sitting by the left wing.

As the aircraft swoops low over trees and a man says, “They’ve got to cut the engine so we can reach the runway.”

The final words, moments before impact, a man says (translated from Afrikaans), “Geez, this is going to be bad.”

The impact sounds like an explosion and the screen goes black. In the darkness people call out to each other before scrambling to exit the aircraft.

Qantas pilots Douglas Haywood and Ross Kelly were among 19 people, including three Dutch and 14 South Africans, aboard the Convair which left Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria for a scenic flight, reported news.com.au.

Brenda Vos‚ communications manager at Rovos Rail‚ told the publication earlier that the aircraft was acquired by Aviodrome‚ a Dutch Aviation Museum‚ a “couple of months ago”. It was to have flown to the museum in the Netherlands after being overhauled.

“We tried to sell the aircraft but there is not much interest in vintage aircraft anymore.”

She said there had not been any safety concerns regarding the plane.

“The plane‚ as far as I know‚ had passed all the tests‚” Vos said.

The crash is under investigation by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.