A small aircraft crash at London's Southend Airport on Sunday has been confirmed to have resulted in the deaths of four foreign nationals. According to eyewitnesses, prior to the incident, the pilot was seen smiling and waving to a family watching nearby. The aircraft was a medical flight responsible for transporting patients or organs.
The incident occurred at around 4 p.m. on Sunday. A 12-meter-long Beechcraft B200, operated by the Dutch Zeusch Aviation, caught fire and crashed shortly after takeoff from Southend Airport, erupting into a fireball with thick black smoke billowing from the scene.
Airport Remains Closed, Dozens of Flights Canceled
After the crash, Southend Airport, located about 56 kilometers east of London, remained closed until further notice.
Dozens of flights were canceled or rescheduled, while the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) announced that an investigation into the crash had been launched.
A spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch stated: “A multidisciplinary team has arrived at the crash site, including personnel specializing in aircraft operations, human factors, engineering, and data recording. The investigation continues today.”
According to the Zeusch Aviation website, this aircraft was used as a medical flight for transporting patients or organs, and at least four foreign nationals lost their lives in the accident.
A passenger manifest showed there were two Dutch pilots, a Chilean-born German nurse, and a European male doctor on board. The plane had flown from Athens, Greece to Pula, Croatia, then to Southend, and was scheduled to return to its base in Lelystad, Netherlands on Sunday. However, the turboprop aircraft crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff.
Flight Nurse's First Day on Job Ends in Tragedy
The German nurse who perished was 31-year-old Ortiz, who was working her first day as a flight nurse at the new company when tragedy struck.