Zeusch Aviation Flight 1
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 PH-ZAZ, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in June 2025 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 July 2025 |
| Summary | Crashed shortly after takeoff; under investigation |
| Site | London Southend Airport, Essex, United Kingdom 51°34′31″N 0°41′51″E / 51.575349°N 0.697396°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft Super King Air |
| Operator | Zeusch Aviation |
| ICAO flight No. | SUZ1 |
| Registration | PH-ZAZ |
| Flight origin | London Southend Airport, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Destination | Lelystad Airport, Netherlands |
| Occupants | 4 |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 13 July 2025, Zeusch Aviation Flight 1, a Beechcraft Super King Air operated by Dutch company Zeusch Aviation, crashed shortly after takeoff from London Southend Airport in Essex, United Kingdom. All four occupants on board the aircraft died, and the circumstances are under investigation.
Aircraft
[edit]The Beechcraft Super King Air was manufactured in 1994 with the serial number BB-1478.[1] It had the registration PH-ZAZ and was operated by Dutch company Zeusch Aviation.[2] It flew in to Southend on 13 July, with ADS-B data showing it landed at 14:51 BST (UTC+01:00).[3] It had flown an ambulance flight from Athens, with a 90-minute layover at Pula in Croatia.[3][4][1] It was operating under the flight number SUZ1.[5]
Accident
[edit]At 15:57 on 13 July 2025, the aircraft was departing runway 05 at London Southend Airport for Lelystad Airport when it crashed during its initial climb.[4][1] Witnesses reported it rolled or banked to its left, entered an uncontrolled descent, and crashed near the runway within the airport's perimeter.[4][1] Photos and videos show a fireball and a plume of black smoke.[4][6] Police evacuated the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club as a precaution due to the proximity of the crash.[7]
Casualties
[edit]All four occupants of the aircraft died in the crash.[1][8][9] The victims were identified as two Dutch pilots, 46-year-old German doctor Matthias Eyl and 31-year-old Chilean nurse Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz.[10][11] Searches for the bodies of all occupants ended on July 16 when the final body was recovered.[12]
Aftermath
[edit]The Essex & Herts Air Ambulance attended the scene.[8] Flights to and from Southend were cancelled or used Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted.[8][13] The Civil Aviation Authority enforced an air exclusion zone around the crash site.[14]
London Southend Airport partially reopened on the evening of 16 July, with normal operations expected to resume on the morning of 17 July.[15]
Investigation
[edit]Essex Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) – along with the Royal Air Force and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service – are investigating the crash.[4][14] The AAIB sent a team of inspectors to the crash site to gather evidence.[16]
See also
[edit]- 2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air crash
- 2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash
- 2021 Piedade de Caratinga Beechcraft King Air crash
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Crash of a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air in Southend: 4 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Beech b200: What is the aircraft involved in the Southend airport plane crash?". The Independent. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Playback of flight SUZ1". Flightradar24. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Southend crash: Airport cancels flights after plane 'fireball'". BBC News. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Bulbul, Nuray (14 July 2025). "London Southend Airport plane crash: Everything we know so far". The Standard. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Associated Press (13 July 2025). "London Southend Airport: Small plane crashes, witness says he saw a 'big fireball'". CNN. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Southend Airport partially reopens after plane crash which killed four people". Sky News via Yahoo News. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Four people dead in Southend Airport crash". BBC News. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Doctor was among four people killed in Southend Airport plane crash". Sky News. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Southend plane crash: Everything we know as victims named and airport closed". AOL. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Southend plane crash: German doctor named in tributes". The Echo. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Final body recovered three days after Southend airplane crash". Essex Chronicle. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Calder, Simon (14 July 2025). "Southend Airport plane crash latest: Airport shut and flights cancelled as aircraft crashes moments after take-off". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ a b "What did we learn at the press conference?". BBC News. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Southend Airport partially reopens after plane crash which killed four people". Sky News. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "The AAIB has sent a team of inspectors to Southend, Essex". Air Accident Investigation Branch. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.