BBC News | UK | Farmer tells of miracle escape

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Thursday, 23 December, 1999, 22:04 GMT

Farmer tells of miracle escape

Farmer Martin Mugele was in a festive mood as he was returning home from a stint collecting money for charity.

Still dressed in his Father Christmas outfit, he was looking forward to an evening babysitting his beloved grandchildren.

Minutes later the huge Korean Air jet crashed to earth in a fireball just yards from Mr Mugele's home.

"All I was worried about were the grandchildren who we were going to baby-sit for, but everybody was all right," he said as he reflected on Thursday on his family's amazing escape.

"After that it doesn't matter."

Mr Mugele, 62, had been collecting money for the Rotary Club on a sleigh before the crash.

His wife Valerie, son David and two grandchildren Harry, three and nine-month-old Kate, were in the house at Marston Farm when the plane crashed into a field, setting it ablaze.

Mr Mugele said: "It's like winning the Lottery, when you have a 747 full of fuel and cargo crashing 100 yards from your house and get away without a scratch, it is unbelievable.

It's like winning the Lottery, when you have a 747 crashing 100 yards from your house and get away without a scratch
Martin Mugele

"I suppose we're lucky it was a cargo plane with no passengers onboard.

"The whole thing has just been smashed to pieces. There are no recognisable parts of the plane left at all. It is amazing."

Mr Mugele arrived at his home near Stansted Airport 20 minutes after the plane hit the ground on Wednesday evening.

He said: "We were going to baby-sit for the grandchildren and my son and daughter-in-law were going out for a Christmas party. I just can't believe the whole thing and we were extremely lucky."

Too upset

The farmer said there were no animals in the field, but a year ago there would have been 200 pedigree cows grazing.

"We can't believe how far the debris has scattered," he said. "The hole left by the impact is huge. When you think of the wingspan and size of the plane it is incredible that there are just small pieces left. It has gone off like a bomb."

Elsewhere in the area, the narrow escape was too much for some people.

One woman who answered the door of her home said she was too upset to talk about the terrible crash.

"It is all just too close to home," she said.

'Absolute inferno'

Another farmer, Joseph Tranter, said the plane "exploded like a giant firework".

Mr Tranter, 43, said: "Once the plane came down a big mushroom cloud erupted into the air like a bomb had gone off in the forest.

"There were flames leaping up about 300ft into the air - it was an absolute inferno with debris showering everywhere."

Local resident Monica Swann said the sky lit up when the plane plummeted to earth in a fireball.

Mrs Swann, 55, said a neighbour had phoned her to tell her that something had exploded nearby and to check she was all right.

She said: "The mood is one of shock but we're all thankful that it was not worse and the plane did not come down on any buildings. We also feel for the pilot and crew and their families."

Related to this story:
Fireball jet sent no mayday call (23 Dec 99 | UK)
Thousands stuck at crash airport (23 Dec 99 | UK)
'It lit up the sky' (23 Dec 99 | UK)
Stansted crash in pictures (23 Dec 99 | UK)

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