ONE minute pensioners Shirley Laing and her husband Peter were enjoying their lunch on the patio - the next they were at the centre of a disaster zone.

Mrs Laing, 65, Woodlands Road, Ashurst, described how a light Cessna aircraft appeared suddenly out of nowhere, silent with no engine.

Though she said they are used to seeing aircraft go overhead to the nearby Bournemouth and Southampton airports, they knew immediately something was badly wrong as the plane passed over at roughly 70 feet, skimming the trees, only just clearing the houses next door.

It then managed to cross the road and the houses on the opposite side before crashing into the garden behind.

Mrs Laing said it was quite clear that the pilot was struggling to keep the plane away from the properties.

"The plane appeared from nowhere," she said.

"The wings were waving, going up and down slightly, the pilot was obviously trying to keep the plane above the house next door.

"He was going down at a rapid rate of knots and didn't quite make it into the field.

"The way it was descending we knew it was going to crash.

"We didn't actually hear any noise at all, we never heard a noise, but we did see a little bit of smoke coming through the hedge."

Neighbours all emerged from their houses, but there was no panic and people remained calm throughout although three homes had to be evacuated.

Within five minutes, Mrs Laing said the police helicopter was overhead and five police cars, two ambulances and two fire engines descended on the scene.

The road was closed off in both directions.

The noise of cutting equipment could be heard, though Mrs Laing did not to want venture any closer.

She said she knew the owners of the house by sight but did not believe any of the occupants had been injured.

Mrs Laing said they were told by police both the pilot and passenger were in a critical condition.

She said one was taken off to hospital by ambulance and the other by air ambulance an hour later.

"We're just still a little bit numb wondering what happened and how the injured people were, full of apprehension for their well being."