A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from London‘s Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon, in what police are calling a “serious incident”. Emergency teams from Essex Police and the East of England Ambulance Service rushed to the scene after receiving reports about a 12-metre aircraft crash just before 4pm.
The plane that crashed is reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air, but officials have not yet confirmed the type of aircraft yet. Police said they are working closely with other emergency services at the crash site, and the response is expected to take several hours. They’ve asked the public to stay away from the area while the work continues. Eyewitnesses have revealed that they saw the plane inverting mid-air before crashing nose-first in the ground.
Moments after Southend plane crashed – Video
Photos shared online show large flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site at the airport. The videos also showed the footage from the golf course, where the plane reportedly crashed minutes after take-off. Watch here:
Police have cleared people from the nearby Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club to keep everyone safe. Southend Airport has been closed indefinitely after a small plane crash caused a large fireball. Four flights were supposed to take off from the airport, but all of them have now been cancelled.
The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said they were alerted to the crash at 3:58pm. Fire crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir, and Basildon, along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford, were sent to the site. They are still working there with other emergency and aviation teams.
The ambulance service sent four ambulances, a fast-response vehicle, four specialist vehicles for dangerous situations, three senior paramedic cars, and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance to help with the emergency.
Eyewitness says plane inverted mid-air, pilots waved at children moments before crash
A witness said the pilots of the plane that crashed in a fireball at Southend Airport had waved at children just moments before the accident, according to the Independent.
John Johnson, who was at the airport with his wife and children, described seeing the aircraft crash nose-first into the ground, followed by a large fireball. He said his family and others had waved at the pilots, who waved back before the aircraft turned around to begin its take-off.
He said the plane powered up, moved down the runway, and lifted off. But within a few seconds, it sharply turned to the left, flipped almost upside down, and then crashed head-on into the ground. Johnson immediately called emergency services.
Essex Police received a call just before 4pm on Sunday about the crash of a 12-metre plane at Southend Airport. They are still at the scene.
Who was on the plane? No. of casualties
Flight-tracking service Flightradar indicates that it was a medical transport aircraft, reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air. So far, it is not known who or how many people were on board or if there were any injuries or fatalities. Although, The witnesses told Independent, “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,” the witness said.
What does Flightradar say?
Flightradar showed that the plane took off at 3:48 pm and was on its way to Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands. The aircraft belongs to Zeusch Aviation, a Dutch airline that provides medical evacuation services, organ transport, and private charter flights.
Zeusch Aviation has confirmed that the crashed plane, flight SUZ1, was one of theirs. The company said it is cooperating with investigators and will share more information as it becomes available.