The family of a newly-married nurse killed in the plane crash at London Southend Airport said she ‘touched the lives of all that knew her’.
Witnesses said it was ‘pandemonium’ after the small Beechcraft B200 aircraft went up into a ‘fireball’ shortly after takeoff, filling the sky with plumes of black smoke.
The victims are believed to be four foreign nationals, including Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, 31, an unnamed European medic and two male Dutch pilots.
Her family released a statement, detailing their grief after Sunday’s crash, reading: ‘It is with deep sorrow that we report the tragic death of our beloved, who passed away in a plane crash in London.
‘The news of her passing is immensely difficult to accept. She was a person who touched the lives of those who knew her, leaving an indelible mark as a friend, daughter, sister and life partner.
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‘Her charisma, love, humour, and kindness, which characterised her as a person, will always live on in our memories and in our hearts.
‘She taught us to be proud of who we are, to dream, and to love with all our souls.’
According to her LinkedIn profile, she moved to Germany in 2019 to begin work as a qualified trauma nurse.
A short statement from the National Federation of Nurses of Chile, read: ‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.
We share in your grief and honour her dedication.’
A GoFundMe has been launched to help Maria’s family give her a ‘send off she deserves’.
A statement read: ‘It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of our beloved Feña, in a tragic accident that is still being investigated by the authorities. We know that the pain is immense and shared by many people who loved her and accompanied her in different stages of her life.’
It added: ‘Thank you so much for being there, for the love, for the support and for everything that everyone has done in these difficult days. We hugged everyone who loved her and we remain in contact to organise ourselves.’
A friend of the nurse told The Mirror: ‘They were married last year. It was her first day on the job.
‘She was a hospital nurse but then took a job with a private medical firm, she didn’t tell anyone but this was her first day in the job.
‘The firm that owns the plane says there were no survivors.’
‘Her wife can barely speak, she can’t even call the police, she’s beside herself. She’s absolutely distraught.’
It is believed they had dropped off one patient and were heading back to their Netherlands headquarters in Lelystad when their plane nosedived on Sunday afternoon.
Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin, who is overseeing the ‘complex’ investigation, told reporters: ‘Sadly, we can now confirm that all four people on board died.
‘We are working to officially confirm their identities. At this stage, we believe all four are foreign nationals.
‘Our thoughts are with the families and their colleagues at this tragic time. ‘I can promise that those who have passed away will be treated with the utmost care and dignity.’
Southend Airport CEO Jude Winstanley said the airport will remain closed until further notice.
He said: ‘On behalf of everyone at London Southend airport, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those lost in yesterday’s tragic incident.
‘We would also like to thank our local community for their messages of support and understanding at this difficult time. Our staff are working closely with the emergency services and air accident investigators to support their work.’
Lisa Fitzsimons, AAIB lead investigator, said her team are gathering the physical material and witness statements to work out the cause of the crash.
She said: ‘At this stage, it is too early to speculate on what may have caused this tragic accident.
‘Our focus is on gathering the physical evidence from the accident site and interviewing witnesses.
‘The remains of the aircraft will then be recovered to our facility in Farnborough, Hampshire for further detailed investigation. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of everyone involved.’
The luxury plane was flying only 129 feet per minute and reached 175 feet before crashing, data from the tracking website FlightRadar24 shows.
Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed that one of its planes had crashed at the airport.
The Dutch company specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights, as well as private charter flights.
The Beechcraft B200 had medical systems for transporting patients onboard.
The RAF are helping the investigation. The airport is operating a flight exclusion zone as investigators carry out their work.
Dozens of passengers turned up for their flights from the airport to find it closed.
Sunny Cook, 20, from Southend, who was staying at the Holiday Inn overlooking the runway, told Metro he saw plumes of smoke and initially thought it was a grass fire caused by the intense heatwave.
He told Metro: ‘There was smoke everywhere near the runway and I initially thought it was a grass fire. But then I spotted wreckage and very soon after it was pandemonium. There were ambulances and other emergency services pulling in from everywhere. It was very dramatic.
‘It was like something on an aeroplane disaster movie. It was very distressing to see, I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.’
Brett Connors, 66, was also staying at the Holiday Inn at the airport in preparation for an early flight to Alicante.
He told Metro: ‘I saw it from the window it was so upsetting. There was smoke and people scurrying towards the accident site.
‘There was a massive response from the emergency services and my thoughts and prayers are with the family of anyone who died. My flight has been cancelled, but there is a much bigger picture here.’
Oliver Zammit and Konnie Culshaw-Markham, both 19, were planning to travel to Malta today in memory of Oliver’s father, who died in September.
Oliver, from Luton, told Metro: ‘My father was originally from Malta but died in September and it was our first trip back to see family. It’s obviously disappointing we now have to go to Heathrow but we understand.’ Aviation experts in hi vis jackets were sweeping along the runway search for clues.
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An airport worker said: ‘It’s very grim, we are all very upset. We are like a family here. We have to let the investigators do their work.’
Witnesses previously described how the two pilots waved at children moments before the crash.
John Johnson, 40, was watching the planes with his family before the crash and told Metro: ‘The aircraft that crashed had just taxied to the runway past us and the other families. We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back.
‘The plane took off, and within a few seconds, it had a steep bank to its left. Then it turned into an inverted nosedive, almost, and it crashed into the ground in a big fireball. I don’t know how many people were onboard, I could only see the two pilots before they took off.’
One witness told Metro she was watching planes take off with her daughter from a viewing deck at the Holiday Inn on Sunday afternoon.
She said: ‘It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left.
‘With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground. We can’t believe what we have seen.
‘It didn’t look like there was time to bail out. Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.’
Another witness told Metro: ‘I saw black thick smoke appear from nowhere and then a load of emergency services rushing to the scene.
‘I was at the airport, and to be honest, because of how bad the fire and smoke, you couldn’t see what was going on. I believe it was a private jet that had crashed – it’s just awful.’
A bartender at the golf club, which is next door to the airport, said he felt a ‘big heat wave’ before looking up to a ‘massive fireball’ in the sky.
MP David Burton-Sampson wrote on X: ‘I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport.
‘Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.’
Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the four people killed in the plane crash.
In a message on X the Prime Minister said: ‘Terrible news that four people tragically lost their lives in yesterday’s plane crash at Southend Airport. My thoughts are with their families and loved ones.
‘I also want to thank all the emergency responders who attended the scene.’
Chief Superintendent at Essex Police, Morgan Cronin, said: ‘In these very early stages, it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.
‘Please help us keep our emergency lines open by using these specific channels if you’re contacting us about this incident.
‘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.’
What was the aircraft that crashed at Southend Airport?
Flight tracking data indicates that the plane was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a US-built twin-turboprop plane, with the registration PH-ZAZ.
Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been ‘involved in an accident’.
The statement said the company was ‘actively supporting the authorities with the investigation’, adding: ‘Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.’
Zeusch Aviation’s website says the plane can be used for medical flights to transport patients or organs. It has also been deployed for aerial mapping flights.
The plane had flown from the Greek capital, Athens, to Pula in Croatia on Sunday before heading to Southend.
Essex Police described the plane as being 12 metres long.
Authorities responded to the crash
In a statement, Essex Police said: ‘We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport. We were alerted shortly before 4 pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
‘We are working with all emergency services at the scene now, and that work will be ongoing for several hours. We would like to ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.
‘As a precaution due to their proximity to the incident, we are evacuating the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club. Updates will be issued as soon as possible.’
The ambulance service told Metro they sent four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars.
An Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance has also been sent to Southend Airport, they confirmed.
London Southend 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.
If my flight is cancelled, can I get a refund?
If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between either getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route.
Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. So, if you were on a return flight and the outbound leg was cancelled, you can get that part of the journey refunded. You’ll typically get your money back within a week.
If you still want to travel, however, your airline must find a way to get you to your destination.
This can include, say, if another airline is flying to where you need to go, or if there’s another form of transport which can be arranged, such as a bus or train.
‘We ask that any passengers due to travel tomorrow 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.’
Is air travel safe?
Though a close string of aviation incidents is nerve-wracking for travellers, it’s not indicative of a decline in aircraft safety.
The latest ICAO report puts the accident rate at 1.87 per million departures in 2023 (compared to 2.94 in 2019), while the number of deaths in air accidents globally has decreased from 239 in 2019 to 72 in 2023.
Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, a former engineer and senior lecturer at the University of Bath, told Metro: ‘While the spate of recent accidents might seem alarming, we would do well to remember that they were not connected to each other in a way that indicates serious systemic issues, and that commercial air travel remains safe.
‘We are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident on the way to the airport than have our plane fall out of the sky.’
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