Four people have been revealed to have died in a plane crash at London Southend Airport as investigators try to find out why the aircraft plummeted to the ground seconds after take-off.
The airport remains shut after the Beechcraft B200 aircraft crashed to the ground and erupted in a fireball on Sunday afternoon.
Four people - believed to be two pilots and two passengers - died in the crash.
“We are working to officially confirm their identities. At this stage, we believe all four are foreign nationals”, Essex Police chief superintendent Morgan Cronin said on Monday afternoon.
According to Sky News, the victims were three men and one woman; a Chilean nurse, a European medical professional, and the two pilots who were both Dutch nationals.
Lisa Fitzsimons of the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) told reporters that an investigation into the cause of the crash was underway.
She said that emergency services had worked to secure the site and inspectors would now work to gather evidence.
“At this stage it is too early to speculate what caused this tragic accident,” Ms Fitzsimons said.
“Our thoughts are with the friends and family of all those involved.”
Southend Airport will remain closed until further notice.
Essex Police were alerted shortly before 4pm to “reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane” at the airport and remain on the scene of the “serious incident”.
Images posted on social media showed a plume of fire and black smoke coming up from the crash site, while witnesses described seeing a “fireball”.
An aerial shot of the crash site on Monday showed the wreckage of the plane on the ground.
One witness said the pilots of the small plane had waved at children just moments before it crashed.
The Beechcraft B200 aircraft, operated by Zeusch Aviation, was equipped with medical systems for transporting patients. The Dutch company specialises in medical evacuations and transplant flights and also runs private charters.
The company, based at Lelystad Airport in The Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at the airport.
The statement said the company was “actively supporting the authorities with the investigation”, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
The plane had flown from the Greek capital Athens to Pula in Croatia on Sunday before heading to Southend. It was due to return to Lelystad on Sunday evening.
Passengers due to travel on Monday via the airport are advised to contact their airline.
Southend Airport said on Sunday: “Our thoughts are with those affected by today’s events and all passengers impacted by this disruption.
“We will restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments.”
Ben Guppy, 35, saw the tragedy unfold from the bar and restaurant on the fifth floor of a nearby Holiday Inn .
He said he saw the plane reach “probably 50 metres off the runway” before it began tilting left.
He told MailOnline: “He’s banking hard left and then the next thing you know, it’s like another handbrake turn. He went left so violently and I thought ‘What is he doing?’ He was only about 100 metres up by this point.
“And then he corkscrewed upside down into the floor, the plane was only in the air for seconds. I looked at it and the fireball went up, there was fire and smoke everywhere.”
John Johnson, who was at the airport with his children and wife, said he saw a “big fireball” after the plane crashed “head first into the ground”.
Mr Johnson, from Billericay, told the PA news agency: “We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us.
🚨 BREAKING: A small plane has crashed on departure from London Southend Airport pic.twitter.com/rpN82Bq79f
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 13, 2025
“The aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take-off, departure, powered up, rolled down the runway.
“It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head first into the ground.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it.
“All the kids saw it and the families saw it. I phoned 999, reported it.”
BREAKING: Reports that a "12-metre small plane" has crash landed at Southend Airport, bursting into a "huge fireball".
— Your Southend (@YourSouthend) July 13, 2025
A plume of smoke was seen rising from Southend Airport at around 16:00 this afternoon.
Pictures and videos shared with us show huge flames rising from a… pic.twitter.com/uoHj4mP9En
He added: “I’d say that we’re pretty shaken up. I just feel sad for the people who were on the plane and, of course, their loved ones and their family, our thoughts are with them.”
As a precaution because of their proximity to the incident, police said they evacuated the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club.
A bartender at the golf club, which is next door to the airport, said he felt a “big heat wave” before looking up to a “massive fireball” in the sky.
James Philpott told the BBC: “I was just basically in a hut like in the middle of the course and I didn’t even see any plane go down or anything and I just felt like a big heat wave come through and I looked up and there was just a massive fireball basically 100 foot in the sky.
“It was more the heat really just kind of hit me as I was sitting there, just like, feel like I’m baking.”
He continued: “I think everyone was just quite shocked to be honest. People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured or anything.”
Mr Philpott said he and others were collected from the course and taken back to the clubhouse where they remain now at a “safe distance” with the club closed.
According to the airport’s website, four flights scheduled to take off on Sunday afternoon were cancelled.
Essex Fire Service said it was called to an incident involving a “light aircraft” at the airport at 3.58pm on Sunday.
Five firefighter crews and two off-road vehicles initially attended the scene and the fire service has told people to avoid the area if possible.
In a post on X, David Burton-Sampson, Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, said: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport.
“Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Southend City councillor Matt Dent added: “I am aware of the live serious incident ongoing at London Southend Airport.
“At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) spokeswoman said: "The AAIB has started an investigation into an accident involving an aircraft near Southend Airport which occurred yesterday afternoon.
"A multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, human factors, engineering and recorded data arrived at the accident site yesterday afternoon.
"Inquiries are ongoing today."
