A small aircraft erupted into flames just seconds after takeoff from London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon. The plane, identified as a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, was en route to Lelystad in the Netherlands. It barely reached 175 feet before banking sharply, inverting, and crashing headfirst near the runway perimeter. Witnesses described a massive fireball and thick black smoke rising above the tarmac. The airport, located 56 kilometers east of London, remains closed until further notice.
Emergency services responded within minutes. Essex Police, fire crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir, and Basildon, and four ambulances were dispatched. The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed the deployment of Hazardous Area Response Teams and an air ambulance. The crash site sits adjacent to Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club, both of which were evacuated. No official casualty count has been released, and authorities have not confirmed how many people were on board.
BREAKING – A passenger plane has crashed shortly after takeoff from London Southend Airport in Essex, erupting into a massive fireball. pic.twitter.com/qUqfAtcU3e
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) July 13, 2025
🚨 BREAKING: A small plane has crashed on departure from London Southend Airport pic.twitter.com/rpN82Bq79f
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 13, 2025
https://twitter.com/_/status/1944428999460929679
The aircraft was operated by Zeusch Aviation, a Dutch firm specializing in medical evacuation and transplant flights. It had arrived from Pula, Croatia earlier in the day. Flight tracking data shows the plane took off at 3:48 PM local time and crashed at 3:55 PM. The Air Accident Investigation Branch is now leading the inquiry. The airport has canceled all flights and issued a statement urging passengers to contact their airlines.
Eyewitness accounts are consistent. John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said the plane banked hard left, inverted, and slammed into the ground. “There was a big fireball,” he told reporters. “We waved at the pilots before takeoff. They waved back.” Another witness described feeling a wave of heat from the explosion while standing on the golf course. Videos circulating online show the moment of impact and the fireball that followed.
The Beechcraft B200 is a twin-turboprop aircraft commonly used for short-haul charters and medevac missions. It can carry up to nine passengers and two crew. The model has a strong safety record, but investigators will examine maintenance logs, pilot actions, and weight distribution. This is the second crash involving a B200 at Southend. A similar incident occurred in 1987.
Sources
https://www.gbnews.com/news/southend-plane-crash-huge-fireball-erupts-london-airport
https://inews.co.uk/news/small-plane-crashes-bursts-flames-take-off-southend-airport-3803545