A small plane crashed shortly after take-off from Southend Airport at about 4pm on Sunday. All four people on board died.
Due to “a serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft on Sunday 13 July at London Southend Airport is currently closed until further notice. The airport is a base for low-cost carrier easyJet.
A statement on the airport’s website on Sunday evening confirmed that “all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators attend the incident.”
Passengers due to travel on Monday 14 July have been advised to contact their airline for information and advice with all flights currently rerouted.
According to flight tracking information, the aircraft involved in the incident was a Beech B200 Super King Air. Dutch company Zeusch Aviation, which is based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been involved in an accident at London Southend Airport. The company is actively supporting authorities with the investigation.
Bound for Leylstad Airport, the airport had taken off from London Southend having flown in from Athens in Greece, via Pula in Croatia earlier on Sunday.
A statement from Essex police said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane. We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.”
Essex County fire and rescue service said four crews had attended the incident, while four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles were at the scene, in addition to an air ambulance, according to a report in the Guardian.
Witnesses on the ground at London Southend reported seeing a “big fireball” when the aircraft crashed seconds after it had taken off.
The airport also stated: “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.”
Stating that its “thoughts are with all those affected by Sunday’s events and those passengers impacted by the disruption,” London Southend also said it will “restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments.”
** Update as of 3pm Monday 14 July.
Following a press conference held at London Southend Airport at 3pm on 14 July, Essex police have confirmed that the aircraft got into difficulty shortly after take-off and crashed within the airport boundary.
“Sadly we can now confirm that all four people on board died,” said Chief Superintendent, Morgan Cronin, who is overseeing the investigation.
He added that the authorities are working to confirm the identities of those on board. “At this stage, we believe all four are foreign nationals,” said Cronin.
“Our detectives and forensic teams are working in parallel with air accident investigators, the Royal Air Force, Essex Fire and Rescue Service and London Southend Airport to build an accurate picture of what happened,” he continued.
“To aid our investigation, the Civil Aviation Authority has put in place a significant air exclusion zone surrounding the crash site.”
