A small plane has ‘nosedived’ and crashed after takeoff from London Southend Airport, exploding into a huge fireball in front of horrified families.
The 40ft-long Beech B200 aircraft was heading from the Essex airport to the Netherlands but reached just 175ft before crashing just yards from the runway.
Footage has been circulating on social media of a black plume of smoke billowing into the sky, with one clip showing passengers boarding another flight close by.
The flight to Lelystad, east of Amsterdam, was scheduled to take off at 3.45pm but took off ten minutes late, according to Flightradar.
It is unclear how many people were onboard but the twin-engined turboprop plane, believed to be 31-years-old, can fit up to 12 passengers and the pilots were seen waving to children as the plane was taxiing.
Essex police, ambulances and fire engines are all at the scene. Residents are being advised to stay away from the area and several Easyjet flights from Southend have been cancelled.
Families have been left distraught after seeing the traumatising crash, including John Johnson who was at the airport with his family when they saw the plane crash ‘headfirst into the ground’ and explode into a ‘big fireball’.
The father said: ‘We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us. About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.’
‘There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.’
One shaken mother who was watching the planes take off from a Holiday Inn viewing deck with her daughter told Metro: ‘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…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.’
Another witness, John, told the outlet: ‘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.’
The Zeutch Aviation plane appears to have taken off in a northeasterly direction at about 120mph and reached around 175ft, according to Flightradar, but data indicates it slowed after leaving the ground and turning to the north.
The plane, which is often used for mapping and for medivac journeys, had completed two trips that day, one from Athens in Greece to Pula in Croatia and then from Pula to Southend, landing in the UK at 2.51pm.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague has not received a request for consular assistance, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported.
Dani Hill, who lives near Southend Airport, told the Daily Star: ‘I saw the huge fireball from my window. I’m still shaking like mad.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it. Praying all involved are ok if any.’
One user wrote on X: ‘Just witnessed a Beechcraft crash on take-off at Southend airport about 40 minutes after a Cessna also left the runway.
‘Thoughts are with those on the aircraft. Absolutely tragic. Was waving to the aircrew just moments before.’
MP David Burton-Sampson 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.’
Councillor Matt Dent said: ‘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.’
Local sports clubs, the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club, have also been evacuated due to its proximity to the explosion as a ‘precaution’, police have said.
A bartender at Rochford Hundred Golf Club, which is next door to Southend Airport, said he felt a ‘big heat wave’ before looking up to a ‘massive fireball’ in the sky.
James Philpott told the BBC: ‘I was just basically in a hut like in the middle of the course and I didn’t even see any plane go down or anything and I just felt like a big heat wave come through and I looked up and there was just a massive fireball basically 100 foot in the sky.
‘It was more the heat really just kind of hit me as I was sitting there, just like feel like I’m baking.’
He continued: ‘I think everyone was just quite shocked to be honest.
‘People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured or anything.’
Mr Philpott said he and others were collected from the course and taken back to the clubhouse where they remain now at a ‘safe distance’ with the club closed.
Easyjet have cancelled several flights out of Southend, including a 3.55pm flight to Paris, a 4.30pm flight to Alicante, a 5.25pm flight to Faro, as well as a 5.30pm flight to Palma de Mallorca.
A Beechcraft 200 had previously crashed at Southend Airport, killing its pilot in the takeoff in 1987, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives.
London Southend Airport said: ‘We can confirm there has been a serious incident at London Southend Airport this afternoon involving a general aviation aircraft.
‘We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible.’
Essex Police have 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.’
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 have been sent to Southend Airport responding to reports of an incident involving an airplane.
‘This is a live incident and still developing as we work at the scene with our emergency services colleagues and aviation partners.’
Essex County 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.
‘Crews from Southend (two), Rayleigh Weir and Basildon (two), along with off road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended.
‘We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners.
‘Please avoid the area if possible while this work continues.
Zeusch Aviation, a Dutch plane company, have been contacted for comment.