Dwayne Johnson recounts terrifying mid-air private jet crisis

Dwayne Johnson has recounted a terrifying experience on a private jet that suffered a mid-flight emergency.

The 52-year-old actor - also known as The Rock - was flying from his home in Hawaii to an event in Texas last week when the pilot told him there was a problem with the plane.

Sharing his tale with fans via Instagram, the action star recounted, "About 35-40 minutes into the flight, the pilot comes back to me; he gets down on one knee, and he faces me, face-to-face, and it's just me on the plane, me and the crew, and he says, 'Mr Johnson, I'm sorry to inform you but we cannot continue to fly over the ocean. We have a problem. We have to turn the plane around and we have to land back in Hawaii. You have my word we will land back safely on the island.'"

Johnson said he was glad the pilot remained so calm, revealing, "His name was Captain David. I appreciate his demeanour in that moment, and he said it was a hydraulics issue with the overheating.

"He said there are some issues we can work out while we're in the air, but there are some issues we're not gonna take a chance, especially over the ocean."

Describing the ordeal as "a sign from God and the universe", the Hollywood star admitted he considered his life amid the crisis.

He explained, "We've all experienced turbulence on aeroplanes. Some of us, I'm sure, like you guys have experienced some really f**king crazy turbulence where drinks are flying and luggage is flying and you can't help but think, it's human nature, 'Is this it? Is this how I check out?'"

He added, "When you're back there alone with your drink and thinking about this, with everything crossed, you start to realise quickly the s**t that's really important in life and the s**t that doesn't matter. I had one of those moments."

He concluded his story by expressing his gratitude at being back on solid ground and that the plane was able to land safely.