A man who helped rescue three people from the wreckage of a plane which crashed just moments after taking off has said it is the worst incident he has seen at the Norfolk airfield.
Henry Labouchere, 74, helped save three people from the aircraft which crashed at Langham Airfield on Tuesday (October 10) – pulling two people through the plane’s windscreen and rescuing another by busting open the door.
He said it was the worst crash he has seen in his 44 years as a tenant at the Norfolk airfield.
READ MORE: Drone image shows plane wreckage after crash in north Norfolk
Mr Labouchere, who oversees operations at the airfield, said: “I was parked on the public footpath which crosses the airfield behind the wood, and I was within four feet of where the engine came to rest.
“The pilot got too close to the wood and caught his wing on a tree which dragged him into the wood.
“I was sitting in the truck and the aeroplane crashed right beside me. The bits of wood and sticks all flew forward and hit my vehicle.
“I heard the noise of the 300-horsepower aircraft coming flat out up the track - howling - and then there was this dreadful scrunching noise in the trees beside me.
“I thought he had clipped the trees and that I’d see the aeroplane go past, but then there was the most deafening silence.
Mr Labouchere said he was helped by a metal detectorist to pull the three people from the crash.
“I pulled two of them through the windscreen and we had to bust the door open to get the third out,” he said.
READ MORE: Eyewitness describes terrifying plane crash at Norfolk airfield
The three people were rushed to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
They had flown into Langham Airfield from Nottingham at around midday to meet family for lunch.
Mr Labouchere said their family members watched from the airfield as the aircraft went down.
He thanked the "wonderful" emergency services who attended the scene, which included two air ambulances.
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