Swindon Town marketing executive Mike Sullivan could soon be back at work, six months after the plane crash that nearly claimed his life.

The well-known businessman was lucky to escape when the twin-engined light aircraft he was flying in crashed into trees on approach to Denham Airfield in Buckingham last August.

This week Mike, 54, will have meetings with colleagues that could have him back in the saddle at the County Ground within days. But he admits he is nervous about returning.

Speaking from his home near Slough, he said: "I am excited about returning to work, but I am nervous too. Six months is a long time to be away.

"On Saturday, I was at the Swindon game. It was the first time I had been back at the County Ground and it was a strange feeling.

"I had people coming up to me asking how I was and that was nice, but being back seemed strange indeed.

"The last few months have been a real rollercoaster time, not just for me, but the whole family. I am sick of daytime TV, there are only so many episodes of Columbo and Murder She Wrote you can watch, and don't talk to me about the Jeremy Kyle Show.

"But now I can work the dishwasher and the washing machine, and I am not just talking the basics, but colours and whites too."

Mike still remembers the plane crash like it was yesterday, but next week, for the first time since the accident, he will step on an aeroplane to see his 22-year-old son Lee in Orlando.

"We were lucky to survive the crash. It was landing in the trees that really saved us, whether that was just luck or if the pilot aimed for them I just don't know," he recalled.

Mike was sitting at the rear of the plane facing forward when he saw Denham airfield in the distance.

He said: "The engine started accelerating and spluttering. As I looked forward the horizon was all over the place.

"It wasn't like turbulence, it was much, much rougher. Our pilot's hands were going everywhere flicking switches - he was battling to keep us airborne.

"Then the plane was in a nosedive, and we hit the trees, and the next thing I remember is hearing the birds sing and smelling the green on the trees.

"I saw a blurred figure come towards us. They said that help was on the way and not to worry."

Sullivan believes they might have all been killed if the plane had landed on flat ground.

"When that engine spluttered the height we were at wasn't enough for the pilot to sort it out. If it had gone wrong earlier in the journey he could have made a single-engined landing."

Mike was left with a broken shoulder, arm and ribs and numerous other cuts and bruises, but today he only has a single eight-inch scar down his left arm to remind him of that fateful day.

Swindon Town director Mike Bowden confirmed Mike would be returning to the office.

He said: "Mike will be back working on the commercial and marketing side of things. I haven't met him before but I'm delighted to hear that he has made a good recovery.

"It's great news for the club that those who were in the crash have recovered from their injuries."