Plane crashes moments after takeoff at London's Southend Airport
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A small passenger aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Southend Airport in London on Sunday, sending a large fireball into the sky, The Independent reported.According to initial information, the aircraft involved is believed to be a Beech B200 model, which was en route to Lelystad in the Netherlands at the time of the incident. Emergency services are at the scene and officers have evacuated the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club due to its proximity to the incident.Four flights scheduled to take off from the airport on Sunday afternoon have been cancelled, according to its website.Essex police said it was at the scene of a 'serious incident'. A statement from the force 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 along with off-road vehicles attended the incident.The East of England ambulance service said four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles were at the scene in addition to an air ambulance.David Burton-Sampson, the Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on X: '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.'Police said they were evacuating the Rochford Hundred golf club and Westcliff rugby club as a precaution because of their proximity to the incident.
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First Post
13 hours ago
- First Post
How small plane crashed at London Southend Airport seconds after takeoff
A Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft crashed at London Southend Airport shortly after takeoff on Sunday, just before 8.30 pm IST. Witnesses reported the 12-metre plane turned into a 'huge fireball', with visuals showing black smoke billowing from the site. The plane reportedly inverted mid-air before coming down read more A plume of black smoke rises from an area near the runway after a small plane crash, as seen from inside a building at London Southend Airport, in Southend, Britain, July 13, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. @agussromagnoli via X/via Reuters A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday (July 13) shortly after take-off. Visuals showed black smoke billowing from the Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft after the mishap. London Southend Airport confirmed a 'serious incident' involving a general aviation aircraft. Witnesses have reported seeing a 'huge fireball' emerging from the crash site. Let's take a closer look. What happened? A 12-metre plane with two pilots onboard crashed at London Southend Airport. Emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance service, rushed to the site. Essex Police said they were 'alerted' about 'reports of a collision' involving the small Beech B200 aircraft at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 8.30 pm IST. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We are working with all emergency services at the scene now, and that work will be ongoing for several hours. We would like to ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues,' it said in a statement. As per the flight-tracking service Flightradar, the aircraft took off from Southend Airport at 8:18 pm IST and was headed to Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands. Earlier on Sunday, the plane flew from Athens to the Pula airport in Croatia, before making the three-hour flight to London Southend, reported Independent. After the crash, London Southend Airport closed operations until further notice. It said it will inform the public of any updates and those set to travel on Monday should contact their airline. As per the airport's website, five international flights had been cancelled after the accident. Dutch company Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been 'involved in an accident' at London Southend Airport. The company said they were 'actively' supporting authorities with the investigation, adding: 'Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.' Besides the two pilots, it remains unclear how many people were on the plane. The cause of the crash is also not known yet. David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West & Leigh, wrote on X: '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.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD United Kingdom Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'I'm aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved. 'The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.' I'm aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved. The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates. — Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 13, 2025 Witnesses describe London plane crash Witnesses told British media that the plane crashed 'head first into the ground'. John Johnson, who was watching planes with his wife and children at the airport, told BBC he saw a 'huge fireball'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'You could see [the pilots] smiling and we all kind of smiled back, the aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take off point, powered up its engines and powered past us, carrying on down the runway,' he said. 'It took off in probably three or four seconds. It started to bank heavily to its left. I said to my wife, that's unusual. We don't find aircraft normally turning at that stage in their ascent. 'Within a few seconds of that, the aircraft almost inverted and hit the ground. There was a huge fireball.' According to Johnson, the airport's fire service responded immediately after the crash, with two fire engines reaching the spot. They were followed by local police, ambulance and fire services. Speaking to Metro, a woman said she was watching planes departing with her daughter from a viewing deck at the Holiday Inn on Sunday. 'It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left. With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground. We can't believe what we have seen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It didn't look like there was time to bail out. Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.' James Philpott, a bartender at the golf club next to the airport, told BBC that he felt 'a big heatwave' before looking up to a 'massive fireball' in the sky. 'Everyone was just quite shocked… we haven't seen anything like this. People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured.' ALSO READ: Is flying risky business? What we know about the crashed plane The plane involved in the crash at Southend Airport was reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air, a US-built aircraft with a jet turbine, according to flight tracking data. It is a small plane capable of carrying more than 20 people for short-haul charter flights. The aircraft was a medical transport jet equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, reported The Mirror. However, as per the Independent report, the ill-fated plane was a luxury private aeroplane with eight seats and a comfortable leather interior. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to BBC correspondent Tom Symonds: 'This sort of aircraft is a bit like a Land Rover of the skies. It's a bit like an all-purpose vehicle and we can see that it has been rented out for roles including medical evacuation, moving transplant material, aerial mapping, that sort of thing.' Zeusch Aviation, which operated the plane, specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights as well as private charters. Meanwhile, Essex Police said it was working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch. 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.' With inputs from agencies
Hans India
16 hours ago
- Hans India
Watch: Shocking Footage of Plane Crash Shortly After London Takeoff
The flight tracking website Flightradar said the plane would have taken off and headed across Southend for Lelystad in the Netherlands. Emergency services attended and a huge plume of smoke could be seen billowing out of the burning wreckage from the plane. How many passengers were on board the small plane crash remains unknown. David Burton-Sampson MP Labour Member of Parliament in the constituency of Southend West and Leigh said that Essex police were at the scene and has requested that people stay away from the areas as much as they can. The MP also stated that due to the proximity of air accident investigation and the nearby area, the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club were shut down. London Southend Airport announced, "We can confirm that there was a serious accident at London Southend Airport this afternoon involving a general Zeusch aviation aircraft. We are in close contact with the local authorities and will be able to provide further information as soon as possible."." A spokesman for Essex Police said in a statement: "We are still on the scene of an important situation on the scene at Southend Airport. We were alerted at around 4:00 pm to reports about a crash that involved one 12-metre aircraft. Our team is working closely with the emergency services on the scene right now, and work will continue for a number of hours. We'd like to ask people to stay clear of this area as much as is it is possible during this time." Essex Police say officers remain at Southend Airport following a significant 12 metre aircraft accident. The initial incident was reported before 4.00pm.
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
London plane crash: What exactly happened at Southend Airport in Essex? All you need to know
A small passenger plane burst into flames just seconds after taking off from London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon. The Beech B200 Super King Air aircraft, heading to Lelystad in the Netherlands, crashed at 4 p.m. while climbing, creating a massive fireball seen for miles. Eyewitness John Johnson described the horrifying moment: 'It banked left, flipped upside down, and smashed headfirst into the ground. A huge fireball followed'. Emergency crews rushed to the Essex airport, closing it immediately and evacuating nearby golf and rugby clubs as a precaution. The plane, operated by Dutch medical transport firm Zeusch Aviation, had carried out two earlier flights that day. Dozens of first responders battled the blazing wreckage, including four fire crews, off-road vehicles, and four hazardous response teams. Medical support included four ambulances, paramedic cars, and an air ambulance, though no survivors were found. Essex Police called it a "serious incident" and warned the public to avoid the area. Flightradar data showed the plane reached only 175 feet before crashing near the runway. The airport closure cancelled all flights, including four easyJet routes, and diverted others to Gatwick and Stansted. Passengers boarding another plane saw the fireball just 300 meters away. Families at the airport watched in horror as the pilots, who had waved back at children minutes earlier, plunged to their deaths. Golf club bartender James Philpott felt a "baking heat wave" before spotting the fireball: 'People ran toward it to help'. Southend West MP David Burton-Sampson urged people to avoid the area, adding, 'My thoughts are with everyone involved'. The 12-meter plane could carry 9 passengers plus crew, though the exact number onboard remains unconfirmed. This marks the second Beechcraft crash at Southend; another occurred in 1987. Authorities will spend days examining the crash site to determine why the twin-engine turboprop failed. Experts will study eyewitness accounts and flight data showing the sudden left turn before impact. The aircraft had flown from Croatia earlier Sunday and once served as a medical evacuation plane. EasyJet offered refunds and hotels to stranded passengers, while the airport's reopening timeline is unknown. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has taken charge of the probe.
