SWINDON Town chief executive Mark Devlin and his wife could not be prouder of their son Stan, who is now playing a crucial role in the investigation into the plane crash, which almost claimed the lives of three club officials.

The 10-year-old is helping air accident investigators piece together the sequence of events that led to the smash.

He was sitting in the front of the plane with pilot Frank Kratky when the plane careered into woodland near a Buckinghamshire golf course on Saturday, August 5.

Mr Kratky is still unconscious so Stan is providing important information for the investigation.

Inspectors from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) believe the primary school pupil can offer a vital insight into what was going on in the plane moments before the crash.

Stan's mum Jocie Devlin said the investigators were finding his help invaluable.

"He has been helping them with their investigation, and telling them what he saw," she said.

"He was a key witness to it all and with lots of these crashes they never get a chance to confirm what they think happened.

"He's played quite a vital role and, with Stan's help, they may be able to conclude their investigation."

Mrs Devlin also praised the accident investigators for the way they have handled Stan.

She said: "They have been very good with him. He doesn't even feel like he's answering questions."

Mrs Devlin added that she could not give any specific details of Stan's help because the investigation is still ongoing.

A spokesman for the AAIB emphasised the importance of Stan's evidence.

He said: "Investigators would talk to anybody who saw the incident, and that's very, very valuable.

"We speak to anybody who was an eyewitness."

Stan was a popular figure on the club's pre-season tour to Ibiza, and the players clubbed together to buy him a Playstation to help him on the road to recovery.

Mr Devlin is due to go under the knife today at the Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, in order to fix a back problem. The Town boss fractured the second vertebra of his spine, and will have to wear a body brace for six weeks to protect the wound.

Stan has been moved to a wheelchair and is expected to be discharged from hospital by the end of the week.

Mr Kratky had surgery on his jaw yesterday. Surgeons had to give him a tracheotomy in order to keep him breathing throughout the five-hour operation.

Swindon Town investor Bill Power, who was one of the six people in the plane when it came down, was released from hospital earlier this week.