Four foreign nationals were killed in a plane crash at London Southend Airport after a small aircraft exploded into a fireball moments after take-off.
The international airport, near Southend–on–Sea in Essex, has been forced to cancel all flights and close ‘until further notice’ after Zeusch Aviation Flight SUZ1 crashed just before 4pm on Sunday.
The plane operated by the Dutch company Zeusch Aviation is owned by IT millionaire Con Zwinkels, who also piloted a Boeing 747 for Martinair, according to Dutch daily newspaper De Telegraaf.
Essex Police chief superintendent Morgan Cronin confirmed that all four people killed onboard – believed to be two pilots and two passengers – were foreign nationals.
‘Yesterday afternoon, an aircraft which had landed here earlier in the day took off bound for the Netherlands,’ he told a press conference.
‘Shortly after take-off, it got into difficulty and crashed within the airport boundary. Sadly, we can now confirm that all four people on board died.
‘We are working to officially confirm their identities. At this stage, we believe all four are foreign nationals.’
The force said they were alerted to ‘reports of a collision involving one 12–metre plane’ at the airport, calling it a ‘serious incident’.
Charred wreckage of the 40ft–long Beech B200 aircraft was seen yards from the runway yesterday evening
A small plane crashed close to the runway after takeoff from Southend Airport on Sunday, exploding into a ‘big fireball’
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation into what caused the Beech B200 Super King Air to suddenly plummet to the ground seconds after take-off.
Footage on social media shows a plume of fire and black smoke billowing into the air from the crash site, while witnesses described seeing the medical jet ‘corkscrew’ before erupting into a ball of flames.
Ben Guppy, 34, who had taken his 15–month–old daughter to the fifth floor of a nearby Holiday Inn hotel to watch the planes take off and land, told MailOnline he saw the plane reach ‘probably 50 metres off the runway’ before it began tilting left.
Describing the moment of impact, the wholesale director explained: ‘My daughter was pointing at it and then it lifted to the left. The left wing came down, the ring wing came up. I thought ‘He’s keen to go left as soon as he takes off.’
‘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. Luckily my daughter was facing the other way.’
A plane ‘corkscrewing’ refers to the moment an aircraft rapidly spirals to towards the ground.
Footage was shared online yesterday of a group of frantic men at the Rochford Hundred Golf Club, which is next to the airport, who were seen running towards the huge cloud of smoke from the crash
The frantic moment a group of golfers, playing at the nearby Rochford Hundred Golf Club, rushed to the burning wreckage was also caught on camera.
Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in The Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been ‘involved in an accident’ at Southend Airport.
The statement said the company was ‘actively supporting the authorities with the investigation’, adding: ‘Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.’
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.
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.
London Southend Airport will remain ‘closed until further notice’ after a plane crashed shortly after taking off on Sunday, the airport’s chief executive Jude Winstanley said.
Speaking at a press conference at the airport on Monday afternoon, he said: ‘Our staff are working closely with the emergency services and air accident investigators to support their work. I would like to thank them for all of their hard work during this period.
‘We are in constant dialog with our operating airlines, and as I’m sure everyone will understand, the airport will remain closed until further notice. Passengers should contact their airline for information and advice.’
There were scheduled to be 20 easyJet flights and two Eastern Airways flights departing from or arriving at the airport on Monday.
Southend Airport said: ‘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.’
EasyJet said the company’s remaining flights to and from the airport had been ‘diverted to alternative airports or are no longer able to operate’.
Witnesses have told of the terrifying moment the plane crashed into a fireball as they watched on in horror.
Mr Guppy and his family, from Benfleet, Essex, have often made a trip out of going to the Holiday Inn at the airport, which has a bar and restaurant on the fifth floor with a window to watch the planes.
The crowd in the bar began screaming, he recalled, while his own wife was distraught.
It was a small Beech B200 aircraft that was reportedly involved in the crash (stock photo)
The airport is now closed for the foreseeable future and have advised passengers to contact their airlines for more information
The father told MailOnline: ‘I just looked around like ‘Am I dreaming?’. I turned to my wife Jess, who had her hands over her face. She was pretty much in tears.
‘She’s still pretty upset about it all.’
Mr Guppy said they were ‘about 500 metres away on the fifth floor, so it’s not like we could help. We decided to get our daughter out of there’.
He added: ‘Driving home I did have a lump in my throat and goosebumps. Everyone was pulled over at the side of the road watching the smoke.
‘On my way back I rang the police and told them what I’d seen. They told me they’d give me a call on Monday.’
John Johnson, who was at the airport with his children and wife on Sunday, said they saw a ‘big fireball’ after the plane crashed ‘head first into the ground’.
One witness said the pilot ‘corkscrewed upside down into the floor, the plane was only in the air for seconds’
The plane, which is often used for mapping and for medivac journeys, had completed two trips that day, one from Athens in Greece to Pula in Croatia and then from Pula to Southend, landing in the UK at 2.51pm
In one video circulating online, passengers were seen boarding with the crash billowing smoke on the other side of the runway
Mr Johnson, from Billericay, told the PA news agency: ‘We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us.
‘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.’
He said he felt ‘shaken up’ and his thoughts were with the people on the plane and their loved ones.
As a precaution, because of their proximity to the incident, police said they were evacuating the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club but rugby club chairman Pete Jones said it had not been necessary.
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.
Essex Police, ambulances and fire engines were all at the scene while residents have been advised to stay away from the area
The cops dashed to the blaze just after 4pm today and have set up a dedicated phone line for information or questions
The smoke cloud was visible 20 miles away from Tankerton Bay in Whitstable
‘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.’
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’.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir and Basildon, along with off road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended the incident.
Four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four hazardous area response team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were also sent to the scene, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
The smoke clouds could be seen from the car park
A fire engine was seen at Southend Airport
Posting 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.’
An 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.’
Southend Airport said the incident involved a ‘general aviation aircraft’ and the airport was ‘working closely with the local authorities’.
Essex Police have set up a dedicated public portal where people can contact them about the crash at: https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz.
