Witnesses report seeing 'fireball' as small plane crashed at Southend Airport, killing four

LAST UPDATE | 20 hrs ago

FOUR PEOPLE ONBOARD a plane that crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport yesterday died, the PA news agency understands.

The crash, which happened shortly before 3.50pm, involved one 12-metre plane, Essex Police said. Images posted on social media showed a plume of fire and black smoke coming from the crash site, while witnesses described seeing a “fireball”.

Zeusch Aviation, 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”.

It added: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”

Southend Airport said its “thoughts are with those affected” by the crash.

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John Johnson, who was at the airport with his children and wife yesterday, said they saw a “big fireball” after the plane crashed “head first into the ground”. He told PA that the pilots waved at his family before the plane took off.

He added: “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.”

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch spokesperson said a “multidisciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, human factors, engineering and recorded data” arrived at the crash site yesterday.

Zeusch Aviation’s website says the plane – a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air – can be used for medical flights to transport patients or organs. It has also been deployed for aerial mapping flights.

The plane had flown from the Greek capital Athens to Pula in Croatia yesterday, before heading to Southend. It was scheduled to return to Lelystad last night.

The airport has been closed since the crash. There were scheduled to be 20 easyJet flights and two Eastern Airways flights departing from or arriving at the airport today.