A small aircraft crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon, triggering a dramatic emergency response and halting all airport operations. The plane, a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, reportedly erupted into a massive fireball just seconds after takeoff, according to witness accounts and footage circulating online.
Social media platforms have been flooded with a video that appears to show the twin-engine aircraft bursting into flames shortly after leaving the runway, with thick black smoke rising into the sky. Although the authenticity of the video has not been independently verified, one X (formerly Twitter) user who shared the clip described the plane as “erupting into a massive fireball and sending a dark column of smoke into the air.”
According to the same post, the aircraft departed from London Southend Airport at 3:48 p.m., bound for Lelystad, Netherlands, as confirmed by flight-tracking data from Flightradar.
Eyewitnesses at the scene described a terrifying sequence of events. One of them, John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said the plane appeared to experience a catastrophic failure moments after takeoff.
“It took off and about three or four seconds later, it began to veer sharply to the left,” Johnson told the Associated Press. “Then, within seconds, it flipped upside down and crashed head-first into the ground. A huge fireball followed. It was shocking.”
In a heartbreaking detail, Johnson said that just minutes earlier, he and his family had waved at the pilots as the plane taxied toward the runway—and the crew had waved back.
Following the crash, Essex Police confirmed they were called shortly before 4:00 p.m. local time to respond to what was described as a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft. Emergency services, including fire crews, ambulances, and air accident investigators, quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
In an official statement shared on social media, London Southend Airport confirmed the incident and announced that all flights to and from the airport have been suspended until further notice, urging passengers to check with airlines for updates.
British media outlets reported that the aircraft was configured as a medical transport jet, equipped with systems designed for transferring patients—a role commonly associated with the Beechcraft B200 Super King Air.
The aircraft involved in the crash is said to measure approximately 12 meters (39 feet) in length. The exact number of occupants on board and their condition has not yet been released. Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, led by the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Authorities are urging the public to avoid the area while emergency operations continue.
A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport. pic.twitter.com/NS0p3ChPRY
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 13, 2025