At first glance, such eyewitness accounts are intriguing. But upon closer examination, it's evident that something fishy is going on. The article appears in a UK news sheet. The quoted portion uses the phrase, do a runner, which appears to be British slang - it's certainly not a common American expression. So, was the alleged eyewitness a Brit? (In which case, it might be an easy task to identify him or her - how many people were in his entourage on the jet, and of those, how many are Brits?). Or, much more likely, the article and the alleged quote are complete fabrications.
"A visibly gobsmacked Jackson, accompanied by his solicitor and Harley Street physician, agreed to board the Vickers Viscount only after he was fetched some shepherd's pie."