As someone that saw the plane, prior to the crash I can inform you that I could hear it coming towards my house. As a result I looked upwards to see the type as it was quite loud, but not sounding as if anything was wrong.
To my surprise the plane was almost at rooftop height to the left of my house (I am 300 ASL) passing along the line of Ashbourne Rise (BR6 9PZ) and then over playing fields to the crash site.
I only got a quick glimpse of the plane, due to a tree in the way. The thrust plume from the engines was smaller than I expected and the pilot was trying to keep the plane level, the wings were dipping up and down as if in salute.
If the tree had not interrupted my view of the plane, I could have probably seen it all the way to the crash site about a mile away and therefore give more information than I can.
One jet, a light plane and a helicopter crashing in the local area in the past three years or so, is making people a little jumpy around here. Personally I think that I have more chance of a bad car crash than being hit by a plane and yes I will be at the air display in June.
What still gives me a cold shudder from some 17 years ago, is seeing a 747 pull up over the tail of what looked like a DC9 (rear engine job). The 747 was in the Biggin stack and I think the DC9 was out of Heathrow, I have never told the wife.