Located roughly 72 kilometers east of central London, Southend Airport confirmed the occurrence of a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft.
“I saw the huge fireball from my window,” a local Dan Hill told UKNIP, as reported by the New York Post.
“I’m still shaking like mad. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.
Essex Police were alerted just before 4 p.m. local time and have been coordinating with emergency crews at the scene. “We are working with all emergency services, and that effort will continue for several hours,” authorities said, according to the Associated Press.
Photos and videos circulating on social media show towering plumes of thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The plane, identified as a 12-meter-long Beechcraft Super King Air, reportedly lost control moments after takeoff before crashing and bursting into flames.
The London Southend Airport said in a post on X, “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.”
So far, officials have not disclosed how many people were onboard or the aircraft’s intended destination. As a precaution, nearby facilities including a golf club and a rugby club were evacuated.
The airport suspended operations following the crash, with at least four Sunday afternoon flights cancelled, according to its website.
Air India plane crash
On June 12, Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It struck a hostel building of BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude.
In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so.
The report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB), released early on Saturday, neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash.
