Airport to remain shut after fireball plane crash

London Southend Airport will remain closed until further notice after a plane crashed in what witnesses described as a "fireball".

Essex Police said it was alerted to a 12m (39ft) plane on fire at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 16:00 BST on Sunday.

On its website, the airport said all Monday's flights - departures and arrivals - had been "rerouted". It urged passengers to check with their airline for advice.

There has been no confirmation of the number of casualties.

Dutch company Zeusch Aviation confirmed that its SUZ1 flight had been "involved in an accident" at the airport.

Based at Lelystad Airport in The Netherlands, the company said it was actively supporting authorities with the investigation, and that its thoughts were with "everyone who has been affected".

The plane had flown from the Greek capital Athens to Pula in Croatia on Sunday before heading to Southend, with a planned return to Lelystad Airport that evening.

John Johnson, 40, from Billericay, Essex, was watching planes with his wife and children when he saw a "huge fireball" after the plane crashed "head first into the ground".

"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 told the BBC.

"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."

He called 999 to report the incident.

James Philpott, a bartender at the Rochford Hundred Golf Club, had been in a hut in the middle of the course when he felt "a big heatwave".

"I looked up and there was a massive fireball, basically," he told the BBC.

"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."

People were evacuated from the course due to its close proximity to the crash, but Mr Philpott said some people remained in the clubhouse as it was further away.

Pete Jones, chairman of Westcliff Rugby Club, which is also near the airport, said people at the club did not have to evacuate following the plane crash.

He said the aircraft went down about 1km (0.6 miles) from the clubhouse and that people there could see smoke in the aftermath.

Essex Police said it was working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Ch Supt Morgan Cronin said: "In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex."

The force asked people to keep its emergency lines open by using its dedicated major incident portal when contacting it about the incident.

A spokesperson for the airline Easyjet, which opened a new base at Southend in March, said three Monday morning return flights had been cancelled "in advance".

They said the rest of Monday's flights were operating "via alternative London airports".

"We are doing all we can to help customers rearrange their plans and have contacted them directly with options to rebook or receive a refund," they added.

"We advise any customers travelling tomorrow to check Flight Tracker for the most up-to-date info on their flights."

Experts remain at the site as they try to find out what may have contributed to the crash.

An AAIB spokeswoman said: "A multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, human factors, engineering and recorded data arrived at the accident site yesterday afternoon."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said her "thoughts are with all those involved" and that she was receiving "regular updates".

On Sunday evening, the Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh and Southend City Council's cabinet member for business, culture, music and tourism, said they had been made aware of the incident.

David Burton-Sampson and Matt Dent posted on X that their thoughts were with those involved and with the emergency services responding to the incident.

Bayo Alaba, Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, told BBC Essex: "It really shook me.

"My heart and thoughts go out to the families involved."

Flight tracking information shows the plane was a Beech B200 Super King Air.

BBC correspondent Tom Symonds said: "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."

He said the "profile of this crash", with witnesses describing the plane veering to the left, suggested "loss of power in the left engine".

The records of this type of aircraft showed "similar crashes over the last 10 years or so".

"One in particular, in Australia, there was a warning after that crash that the throttle levers - that control the power to the two engines - could slip back, reducing the power," he said.

"One former aviation accident investigator that I've spoken to said that is an area that might be investigated - but these planes can fly with one engine."

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