Horrified passengers on a Paris-bound jet claim they suddenly climbed 10,000 feet to avoid another plane because their pilot was "showing off" to a boy who was with him in the cockpit, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

The Air France flight had 143 passengers on board when it suddenly veered back and forth at 33,000 feet before climbing rapidly. The crew later announced that the plane had gotten "too close" to another plane, the Mail reported.

Shaun Robinson, 40, of Rossendale, England, told the paper that the jet "rocked and rolled" like a carnival ride and terrified passengers said prayers aloud while children cried.

Air France launched an investigation after several passengers near the front of the plane claimed they saw a French boy, about 13, being escorted into the cockpit.

"The young boy shouldn't have been allowed into the cockpit in the first place," said Robinson, who was on a business trip. "He had a big smile on his face when he came out and the steward ruffled his hair and took him back to his seat."

An Air France spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: "Air France takes these allegations extremely seriously. We are investigating."

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