London, July 15 - On the afternoon of Sunday, July 13, London Southend Airport in Essex, England, was thrust into chaos when a small aircraft, identified as a Beech B200 Super King Air, crashed shortly after takeoff, erupting into a massive fireball. The tragic incident, which occurred around 3:58 p.m., claimed the lives of all four individuals on board, including two pilots and two medical personnel. The aircraft, operated by Zeusch Aviation, a Netherlands-based company specializing in medical evacuation and transplant flights, had taken off from runway 05, bound for Lelystad, Netherlands, after arriving earlier that day from Pula, Croatia, via Athens, Greece. According to flight-tracking data, the plane reached a maximum altitude of approximately 175 feet before it suddenly banked sharply to the left, inverted, and plummeted head-first into a grassy area near the runway, within the airport’s boundary.
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Witnesses described a catastrophic scene as the aircraft burst into flames upon impact, producing a towering plume of black smoke visible from miles away. Among the victims was Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, a 31-year-old German citizen born in Chile, who was reportedly on her first day as a flight nurse aboard the medical transport jet. The crash prompted an immediate and comprehensive response from emergency services. Essex Police, along with the East of England Ambulance Service, dispatched multiple units, including four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars, and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance. Nearby facilities, such as the Rochford Hundred Golf Club, were evacuated as a precautionary measure due to their proximity to the crash site. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) swiftly imposed a significant air exclusion zone around the airport, halting all flight operations.
London Southend Airport, a relatively small hub approximately 45 miles east of central London, announced it would remain closed until further notice, disrupting travel plans for passengers. EasyJet, one of the primary airlines operating at Southend, canceled three return flights scheduled for Monday morning and diverted others to alternative London airports, such as Gatwick and Stansted. A total of 20 easyJet flights and two Eastern Airways flights were affected, with passengers advised to contact their airlines for updates. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched a probe to determine the cause of the crash, which remains unclear. Investigators are examining flight data, eyewitness accounts, and potential human factors, with the process expected to take days. The aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop known for its versatility in roles like medical evacuations and private charters, had completed two flights earlier that day without issue.
Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight was involved and pledged full cooperation with authorities. The airport expressed condolences, stating efforts were underway to resume operations as soon as possible, while Prime Minister and Southend West MP David Burton-Sampson conveyed sympathies to the victims’ families and praised the emergency responders. This marks the second Beechcraft crash at Southend, following a similar incident in 1987, underscoring the need for a thorough investigation into the tragedy that has left the aviation community and local residents in shock.