Fireball erupts as small plane crashes at Southend airport
An aeroplane has crashed on take-off from Southend airport, with pictures from the scene showing a huge fireball.
The crash on Sunday afternoon reportedly involved a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air B200.
Online flight tracking data suggest an aircraft fitting that description was due to fly to Lelystad, in the Netherlands, in the afternoon.
David Burton-Sampson, the Labour MP for Southend, 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.”
Matt Dent, Southend city council’s cabinet member for business, culture, music and tourism, posted on X: “I am aware of the live serious incident ongoing at London Southend Airport.
“At present, all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
A fireball was seen following the crash, which happened shortly after take-off - UKNIP
Essex Police said: “We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend airport. 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. We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues. As a precaution, due to their proximity to the incident, we are evacuating the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club.”
Essex Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: “We were called to an incident involving a light aircraft at Southend Airport today at 3.58pm. Five crews and two off road vehicles initially attended.
“We are continuing to work at the scene with our partners. Please avoid the area if possible while this work continues.”
The East of England Ambulance Service said four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four hazardous area response team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance had been sent to the incident.
An airport spokesman said: “We can confirm there has been a serious incident at London Southend Airport involving a general aviation aircraft.”
‘I waved at the pilots’
A witness who watched the aircraft take off said he “waved at the pilots” in the moments before the disaster.
John, 40, told Metro: “The aircraft that crashed had just taxied to the runway past us and the other families. We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back.
“The plane took off, and within a few seconds, it had a steep bank to its left. Then it turned into an inverted nosedive, almost, and it crashed into the ground in a big fireball.
“I don’t know how many people were onboard, I could only see the two pilots before they took off.”
Online flight tracking information suggested that it reached a maximum height of 175ft above Southend’s fifth runway, facing to the north-east, before crashing. Data broadcast by the aeroplane’s automatic onboard systems suggested that it drifted to the left before hitting the ground.
A huge cloud of smoke over the airport after the crash - UKNIP
Plane made two flights earlier in day
The crashed aircraft, registered PH-ZAZ, had carried out two flights on Sunday prior to the disaster at Southend.
It flew from Athens to Pula airport on Sunday morning, departing the Croatian resort town for Southend at lunchtime, a flight of about three hours.
On Saturday the Beech B200 had departed its home base of Lelystad in the Netherlands for Memmingen in southern Germany, before flying to the Greek capital that evening.
A commercial charter website’s entry for PH-ZAZ suggested it was configured as a luxury private aeroplane with eight seats and a comfortable leather interior.
The Beechcraft King Air B200 has two turboprop engines, meaning a jet turbine that spins a propeller, and is capable of carrying around a dozen people. The US-made planes are widely used as short-haul charter airliners and for carrying light freight.
Earlier in its career, the aircraft had been registered G-MEDZ and was operated on medical evacuation flights. Originally registered in the US in 1994, the aeroplane has carried registrations from Germany and Spain as well as America, Britain and the Netherlands.
‘It happened so quickly’
Westcliff Rugby Club said it has not been evacuated, contrary to Essex Police’s statement that people would be told to leave the premises about a quarter of a mile north of the airport.
Club spokesman Lorraine Saccini, 63, told The Telegraph: “No they haven’t evacuated us. I asked the police and fire brigade and they said no.”
The smoke cloud could be seen from the Essex town’s pier
Ms Saccini said the crash site was visible from the club’s balcony, adding: “We can see the runway, but we’re not in line with it. There’s a lot of helicopters going around. There’s ambulance, police and everything else there. They put the fire out really quick – they were there within seconds.”
Ms Saccini said the club was hosting a social event, and some of those present had witnessed the crash. “They just said they saw it go up and come straight down again,” she said. “It happened so quickly.”
A source from Rochford Hundred Golf Club said the organisation, whose grounds are next to the airport’s northern side, was hosting the quarter-finals of the Essex County Cup. The Telegraph understands the match was abandoned after the plane came down close to the 14th tee.
Airport closed and flights cancelled
In a notice for pilots, Southend airport said it was closed with immediate effect from 4.07pm and that no air traffic control services would be available.
Photos on social media showed that passengers were in the process of boarding an airliner via a flight of steps when the crash happened a few hundred metres away.
easyJet confirmed that its flights scheduled to depart from Southend on Sunday evening had been cancelled.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the incident at London Southend airport this afternoon,” said a spokesman.
“As the airport is currently closed, all remaining flights to and from London Southend today have been diverted to alternative airports or are no longer able to operate.
“We are doing all we can to support our customers and have contacted them directly with options to rebook or receive a refund, and are arranging hotel accommodation and meals for those who require them.”
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