'When I scrambled inside the plane, it was all quiet, no screaming or shouting'

I SAW the plane coming down from the sky. I was at home when it crashed.

I had heard a strange noise, like a hammering kind of sound and immediately looked out of the window.

As the plane got nearer, I knew there was a problem. Flames were coming out of one of its engines and it was flying in a really strange position, with its nose high in the sky.

I live on the flight path. Seeing planes is something you get very used to here but this one was very different. It was in serious trouble.

At that moment, I knew that the plane wasn't going to make it on to the runway of East Midlands Airport.

It was very close to our house. When it crashed, there was a huge flash of light and then nothing. Absolute silence.

I quickly ran to my van and started the engine. I drove up the road and I saw the plane. I raced down the embankment of the M1 so I could get as close as I could to the wreckage. There was a huge hole in the side of the plane and I scrambled inside.

A couple of motorists who had been forced to stop on the M1 came to help me. Between us, we managed to get one or two passengers out of the plane.

When I got inside the plane, they were still strapped in their seatbelts. They were conscious but obviously in shock.

It was really quiet. There was no screaming or shouting. The passengers said nothing as we got them free and helped them get off the plane.

The few people that I saw on the plane didn't look like they had been really injured. We got them up the embankment and pulled them on to the hard shoulder of the motorway.

To be honest, we didn't really know what to do.

The bank was really steep. It took great strength to lead them to safety.

It must have been about 20 minutes later when the emergency services started to arrive. Ambulance staff and fire crews took over the rescue operation and I took my orders from them.

We worked on clearing the plane of its loose seats and other objects.

When a passenger was rescued, we formed a line and passed the stretcher along. A few of us dug at the ground and created makeshift steps on the embankment.

I kept checking on the pilot, but we couldn't reach him. He was semi-conscious – that's all I could see.

The stench was horrendous. That's something else I remember. Fuel from the plane had poured out from the engines and it was awful. My eyes were watering and my clothes absolutely stank.

I stayed all night to help. I think I was there for about 15 hours or so. During that time, I never stopped hearing a crow in one of the trees near to where the plane had crashed. I later discovered that she'd had babies in a nest near to where the aircraft fell and was fretting about her young.

There were also hundreds of cola cans strewn all over the ground – but we were told not to drink them. If it transpired that the plane had been hijacked, these cans would be needed as part of the investigation. It was hard because we were all so thirsty but they had to stay put.

Before I got to the plane, I did use the radio in my van to inform AA control what had happened. The staff at the receiving end of my call didn't believe what I was telling them. When I said that a plane had crashed, they were totally dumbstruck.

After helping to get the passengers out, I started to look beneath the plane. I was certain that it must have crashed on to some of the vehicles which had been travelling along the motorway. When it finally transpired that no cars had been involved in the incident, I was really surprised. It was amazing to think that no motorists had lost their lives that night.

I still don't really know why I raced so quickly to the scene. I knew that I'd be one of the first to get there and I knew I had to help. I wasn't struck with fear. I wasn't terrified by what I might see. Those thoughts never occurred to me.

My wife says that I was unusually quiet for a couple of months after the air crash.

She said that I had been affected by what I witnessed that night – but I can't remember feeling any different.

I received two bravery awards following the incident. The Royal Humane Society presented me with a national award and the AA, where I worked at the time, added me to its roll of honour at its headquarters and gave me a silver cross.

On the days after the crash, I visited the site to clear the mess and help investigators collect their evidence.

A few of my colleagues came to help and some were also there on the night of the crash.

I still think about the night when the plane came down and, to this day, I don't think I realised the enormity of what had happened.

There was no time to digest the news before I was at the scene doing what I could to help.

I'd never be able to recognise the people who I helped to get out of the plane. I can't remember if they were male or female, or what age they might have been. It's all a blur.

But one thing is certain: I am glad that I was able to do my bit. I am glad I helped that night. I really am.