Four Killed in Southend Airport Medical Flight Crash

Four people died in a medical evacuation plane crash shortly after takeoff at London Southend Airport on July 13, including pilots Captain Danny Marco Franken and First Officer Floris Christiaan Rhee, both Dutch nationals. The Beechcraft Super King Air 200 was returning to the Netherlands after transporting a patient to the UK for treatment when it crashed within airport grounds. Alongside the pilots, nurse Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz and Dr. Matthias Eyl, both German nationals, also perished. Zeusch Aviation, the flight operator, paid tribute to the pilots' professionalism and dedication, emphasizing their valued roles and expressing deep shock and sadness over the tragedy. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is conducting an ongoing inquiry into the cause of the crash. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft bank heavily and invert before crashing, which caused a fireball on impact and temporarily closed the airport for investigations.