Southend plane crash LATEST: Horror at UK airport as massive fireball erupts

The shocked father who saw the plane crash at Southend Airport while sightseeing with his young daughter has shared further details of the flight's final moments.

The eyewitness said he saw the aircraft reach 'probably 50 metres off the runway' before it began tilting left.

"My daughter was pointing at it and then it listed to the left. The left wing came down, the ring wing came up.

"And then he corkscrewed upside down into the floor, the plane was only in the air for seconds. I looked at it and the fireball went up, there was fire and smoke everywhere," Mr Guppy said.

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34-year-old dad Ben Guppy witnessed the horror crash at Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon alongside his 15-month-old daughter, after taking his family to watch the planes take off.

The father said the sightseeing turned into a 'nightmare' just before 4pm, when the Beech B200 light aircraft veered sharply after leaving the runway. They witnessed the ensuing fireball from the fifth-floor bar of an adjacent Holiday Inn, which has a viewing window.

He told MailOnline: "I just looked around like "Am I dreaming?". I turned to my wife Jess, who had her hands over her face.

"She was pretty much in tears. She's still pretty upset about it all."

Dramatic visuals from different areas of Southend capture the harrowing scene following Sunday's catastrophic plane crash.

Social media has been flooded with harrowing footage showing a fireball and thick black smoke billowing from the disaster site.

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People living around Southend-on-Sea are 'in shock' after the light aircraft crashed less than 1000 metres from the airport it was taking off from - in full view of other passengers.

A local resident shared on Reddit: "The poor people boarding another plane who witnessed it must be terrified, I myself wouldn’t have been able to get on that plane after seeing that.

"I’m ten mins away and the whole town is in shock. So sad.

"I don’t pray but my thoughts are with everyone involved and their families and all witnesses too."

The firm that operated the light aircraft that crashed on takeoff at Southend Airport has released a statement, amid an ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash.

A statement from Zeusch Aviation reads: “We can confirm that Zeusch Aviation flight SUZ1 was involved in an accident today at London Southend Airport.

“We are actively supporting the authorities with the investigation and will provide updates on this page as more information becomes available.

“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”

The Dutch operator of the crashed light aircraft had been flying the plane for several years, with the company describing it as a "proven performer."

In a public document, Zeusch Aviation states: "The King Air B200 is a proven performer. It can take off and land from short runways, and its versatility means that we can have it outfitted for your mission usually in two hours or less.

"It’s a mission-capable aircraft and can fly for long periods without refuelling."

People teeing off in the sunshine at Rochford Hundred Golf Club, which is located next to Southend Airport, captured the moments after Sunday's horror plane crash.

Golfers could be seen running towards the scene of the massive fireball that followed the crash, with huge black clouds billowing from the site.

The Rochford Hundred and a nearby rugby club were later forced to evacuate while emergency services responded to the crash, according to police.

However, Pete Jones from the golf club said: "That didn't happen in the end. (Police) changed their mind. We've got a big event there, 250 people, and they just said no, you don't have to evacuate."

Video from a passenger plane passing Southend Airport in the moments after the small aircraft crashed shows the huge clouds of black smoke issuing from the crash site.

The airport remains closed "until further notice" while emergency services respond to the incident. Police have said a cordon will remain in place into Monday while air accident investigators attend the scene.

Authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties from the crash.

The Beech B200 Super King Air twin-turboprop aircraft had flown across Europe before it crashed on takeoff at Southend Airport.

Its final flight was its third of the day, after jetting off from Athens to Pula in Croatia, earlier on Sunday. It would then make its final voyage to Southend, a flight time of around three hours.

The plane had made several trips the day before as well, leaving its base of Lelystad in the Netherlands on Saturday to fly to Germany and then Greece.

Here's the link to Essex Police's dedicated public portal where people can contact them about the crash: https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz.

International callers can call 0207 1580126.

Southend Airport has announced it will be closed until further notice.

The airport said in a statement: "Due to a serious incident today at London Southend Airport, we regret to advise that the airport is closed until further notice.

"All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators are attending the incident.

"We ask that any passengers due to travel tomorrow (Monday, July 14) via London Southend Airport contact their airline for information and advice.

"Our thoughts are with those affected by today's events and all passengers impacted by this disruption.

"We will restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments."

Essex Police has said flights at the airport were quickly grounded to make sure work could begin immediately on putting out the fire as quickly as possible.

Essex Police has said its officers are working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch and suggested the effort to find out exactly what happened could take some time.

Ch Supt Morgan Cronin said: "We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened today and why.

"I fully appreciate the desire for more information in this matter, and we will share as much as we can, when we can, throughout our work.

"But it is vital for all involved that this investigation is carried out thoroughly and correctly, and to do that we will all need time."

In a statement Essex Police said it has put a wide cordon in place to make sure emergency service workers can carry out their work safely, and will be doing so overnight and into tomorrow morning.

It added: "The public are asked to avoid the area while this work is carried out.

"Most importantly, those with information can get in touch with us through our dedicated Major Incident Public Portal and through a dedicated phone line, 0800 0961011."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said her "thoughts are with all those involved" in the crash and she is "receiving regular updates".

In a post on X, she said: "I'm aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.

"The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates."

Footage from a flight tracking account on X appears to show the moment the plane crashed.

Fligthradar24 shared the simulation on social media. It shows a symbol used to denote the plane heading towards the runway, heading down the runway then disappearing from the display as it crashes.

Police had said they were evacuating Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club, but the chairman of Westcliff Rugby Club, which is near Southend Airport, has said people at the club didn't end up having to evacuate.

Pete Jones said: "That didn't happen in the end. (Police) changed their mind. We've got a big event there, 250 people, and they just said no, you don't have to evacuate."

Mr Jones said the aircraft went down about 1,000m from the clubhouse and that people there could see smoke in the aftermath.

The pilots of the plane which crashed waved at children shortly before the collision, a witness has said.

John Johnson, who was at the airport with his children and wife, said he saw a "big fireball" after the plane crashed "head first into the ground".

Mr Johnson, from Billericay, said: "We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us. The aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take-off, departure, powered up, rolled down the runway.

"It took off and 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 just head first into the ground.

"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."

All flights leaving Southend Airport have been cancelled for the rest of the day, Sky News has reported.

A bartender at Rochford Hundred Golf Club, 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 remained at a "safe distance" with the club closed.

John Johnson, who witnessed the collision along with his family, said he felt "pretty shaken up".

Mr Johnson said: "I'd say that we're pretty shaken up. I just feel sad for the people who were on the plane and, of course, their loved ones and their family, our thoughts are with them."

Luke Humphrey, who lives a five minute drive from Southend Airport, said he was having a pint at Rochford Town Sports and Social Club near the airport when punters heard a "massive bang".

The 36-year-old HGV driver told the Express: "We thought, what on earth was that? Where we are we're not far from the airport. All of us were really shocked. Someone told us there was a massive fire. We went outside and saw the smoke.

"We heard later that there had been a plane crash. It's a shame what happened. It's shocking really."

Southend Airport has issued a statement, confirming there has been a serious incident involving a "general aviation aircraft".

The brief statement added: "We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible."

General aviation means the plane was operating in a civil capacity and not commercial or military.

The Super King Air 200 first flew in October 1972. It has a larger fuselage and a high tail compared with the original King Air.

The model 200 was developed further in the 1980s into the Super King Air 300 series which featured better aerodynamics and more powerful engines.

According to The Royal International Air Tattoo, the Super King Air 200 was previously used by the RAF as a multi-engine trainer. It has been replaced by the Embraer Phenom.

The pictures below show a huge fireball from the crash and smoke billowing over properties nearby.

Flightradar24, which monitors air traffic, has suggested the plane which crashed was a Beech B200 Super King Air, coded PH-ZAZ.

Its flight history shows it flew from Athens to Pula, Croatia, before leaving Pula for Southend today.

It was scheduled to fly on to Lelystad, where its operator Zeusch Aviation is based.

The plane which crashed was reportedly operated by Zeusch Aviation.

A Dutch company, Zeusch Aviation specialises in medical evacuations, transplant flights, aerial mapping, relay flights and surveillance.

EasyJet has cancelled a number of planes after the plane crash.

The airline operates flights to European cities from the travel hub, many of which have been affected.

My colleague John Varga has details of the latest known cancellations.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has said it was called to an incident involving a light aircraft at Southend Airport at 3.58pm.

Crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir and Basildon, along with off road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford, attended.

A spokesperson said: "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."

East of England Ambulance Service has said a number of emergency vehicles were at the scene.

The service said in a statement that four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were sent to Southend Airport.

An X user who regularly tweets about airline safety has suggested the jet involved was a Super King Air - a twin-turboprop aircraft.

The Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh has said in a post on X that he is aware of the incident and his "thoughts are with everyone involved".

He echoed the message from the police, urging members of the public to keep away and let the emergency services do their work.

Essex Police has issued a statement. The force said officers remain at the scene of a "serious incident" at Southend Airport.

It added that police were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving a 12-metre plane.

The statement continued: "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."

The force said that as a precaution due to their proximity to the incident, Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club were being evacuated.

Initial, unconfirmed reports say the plane which crashed was a Beech B200 Super King Air.

The aircraft was scheduled to fly from Southend Airport to Lelystad in the Netherlands.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the crash at Southend Airport. I'll be bringing you the lastest details about the incident in Essex.