The recent Chinese plane disaster sent a shiver down the spine of Bermuda resident Mr. Michael Warren.

Mr. Warren believes he flew on the doomed jet just four weeks ago with his wife, Amanda.

And the experience left him horrified at the standard of safety -- mirroring growing worldwide anxiety over Chinese jets.

Mr. Warren, of Verdmont Valley Drive, Smith's, said passengers received no safety instructions.

There also appeared to be no life jackets -- and the plane was moving while people were still boarding.

"I felt extremely uneasy to say the least, and was very relieved when the flight was over,'' he said this week.

Mr. Warren, 40, added: "Obviously I can't be sure, but I think I was on the same plane as the one that crashed.'' Monday's crash which claimed the lives of 160 people was China's worst aviation disaster.

This week it emerged the navigator of the Russian-built China Northwest Airlines TU-154 plane radioed before the crash that the plane's wings were trembling.

The plane careered into a field and broke in pieces minutes after takeoff on Monday morning from Xian -- the popular tourist city in northern China which Mr. and Mrs. Warren also flew out of.

The crash renewed fears that safety is suffering as China's airline industry grows faster than its supply of experienced crew and modern equipment.

Among the dead were two Americans, an Italian family of four, two young British male tourists and an Australian woman, their embassies said.

The other victims were three Hong Kong Chinese, one Taiwanese, and 148 Chinese passengers and crew, the Xinhua news agency said.

Experts are said to be analysing the "black box'' flight data recorder recovered from the wreckage.

A China Northwest spokesman said the airline was debating whether to ground the remainder of its TU-154s for safety checks. The airline operates more TU-154s than any other plane.

A Russian aviation source quoted by the ITAR-Tass news agency said China took delivery of the jet in December 1986 and that it was given a scheduled repair in 1992.

Several of China's newly formed regional airlines have bought or leased used planes from cash-hungry Russian airlines.

The TU-154, a medium-range, three-engine jet, was built as the Soviet equivalent to the Boeing 727 in the 1960s and 1970s.

Mr. Warren and his wife, who are English but have lived some 12 years in Bermuda, were on a three-week tour of China when they experienced flying on a TU-154.

A plane spotter when he was younger, Mr. Warren said he was surprised to see the TU-154 on the runway.

"I know a bit about planes, but I didn't know these planes were still flying.

"The plane looked very old and a bit tatty, which was rather disconcerting.'' Mr. Warren, vice-president of a Hamilton insurance company, said he was shocked that the plane began rolling when 30 or 40 passengers were still boarding.

"I believe everybody boarded and the plane flew off right away. There were about 160 people on board.'' Mr. Warren added: "I also felt under my seat and couldn't find any life-jackets.

"The flight itself, which lasted about one-and-a-half hours was quite smooth, and there were no problems landing and taking off.'' Mr. Warren, whose wife is a nurse at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, said he was counting his blessings when he heard of Monday's crash.

"I feel very happy to be alive. I feel very, very relieved.'' HOLIDAY HORROR -- Mr. Michael Warren and his wife, Amanda.