The silence on the aircraft was punctuated by a nervous cough, then a snigger. Johnny Berry shouted, 'I don't know what you are laughing at, we're all going to get killed here'. Liam Whelan piped up, 'Well, if this is the time, I'm ready'. As I watched out of the window, the wheels began to lift off the ground. Then bang! There was a sudden crash and debris began bombarding me on all sides. One second it was light, the next dark. There was no screaming, no sounds, only the terrible shearing of metal. Something cracked my skull like a hard-boiled egg. I was hit again at the front. The salty taste of blood was in my mouth. I was afraid to put my hands to my head. An eerie stillness replaced the chaos, punctuated only by the interminable sound of hissing. All around was darkness, as if it was frozen in time.