Four people have been killed after aircraft crashed “head first into the ground” shortly after take-off from London Southend airport.
Shocked witnesses saw a huge fireball erupt following the crash involving the 12-metre-long aircraft at the airport in Essex shortly before 4pm on Sunday.
It is not known how many people were on the flight. Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident”.
The plane had flown from the Greek capital Athens to Pula in Croatia on Sunday before heading to Southend. It was scheduled to return to Lelystad on Sunday night.
In a post on X, transport secretary Heidi Alexander described the incident as “tragic”, adding that her “thoughts are with all those involved” and that she was “monitoring the situation and closely receiving regular updates”.
Southend Airport remains closed on Monday until further notice, a spokesperson confirmed.
Follow the latest updates on The Independent’s live blog.
What we know about the plane which crashed in Southend
Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight was involved in the incident.
The statement said the company was “actively supporting the authorities with the investigation”, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
Four people died in the plane crash, the PA news agency reported on Monday afternoon.
Flight tracking data suggests the aircraft was a Beech B200 Super King Air, a US-built twin-engine aircraft which was bound for Lelystad.
Zeusch Aviation’s website says the plane can be used for medical flights to transport patients or organs. It has also been deployed for aerial mapping flights.
Beechcraft King Air B200 costs up to £1.47million, according to sales listings online.
An advert for the aircraft says it can carry 6 passengers and two cabin crew. The length of the cabin is nearly 17ft.
The aircraft cruises at about 285 miles per hour, which is around 290 knots in airspeed.
How long will Southend Airport be closed for, and what flights have been cancelled?
A spokesperson for Southend Airport said it will remain closed on Monday until further notice.
Ten passenger flights have been cancelled so far as a result of the crash at Southend airport – all on easyJet.
Sunday evening flights linking the Essex airport with Faro in Portugal and Palma de Mallorca were grounded, along with the return legs.
The first three departures on Monday morning – to Malta, Palma and Pisa in Italy – were cancelled.
Around 1,700 passengers are believed to have had their flights cancelled.
EasyJet has confirmed that it will operate all flights originally departing from Southend via other London airports on Monday.
“We are doing all we can to help customers rearrange their plans and have contacted them directly with options to rebook or receive a refund,” the spokesperson added.
“We continue to work closely with the airport to understand when operations are able to resume.”
A ‘big fireball’
John Johnson, who was at the airport with his children and wife, said he saw the “big fireball” after the plane crashed.
“We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us,” he said. “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.
“Everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it.”
People inside the nearby Rochford Hundred Golf Club were evacuated. Bartender James Philpott told the BBC he felt a “big heat wave” before looking up to a “massive fireball” in the sky.
He said: “People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured or anything.”
How emergency services responded
Essex Police, the East of England Ambulance Service and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service all responded to the crash.
Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: "In these very early stages, it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex."
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to an incident involving a light aircraft at Southend Airport today at 3.58pm.
“Crews from Southend (two), Rayleigh Weir and Basildon (two), along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford, attended. We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners.”
The East of England Ambulance Service said four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four hazardous area response team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were sent to the incident.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed it has begun an investigation into the crash.
A spokesperson 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.
“Enquiries are ongoing today.”
Essex Police have set up a dedicated public portal where people can contact them about the crash at: https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz.
