Pilots killed in Southend Airport plane crash named

Two pilots killed when a plane crashed at Southend Airport earlier this month have been named.

They were captain Danny Marco Franken and first officer Floris Christiaan Rhee, said flight operator Zeusch Aviation.

They are believed to be Dutch.

The plane, which had been chartered to take a patient to the UK for treatment, crashed shortly after take-off on 13 July.

It's thought that the patient had already been dropped off and the aircraft was heading back to its base in the Netherlands.

Two passengers, a female nurse and a male doctor, also died.

Zeusch Aviation boss Marco Rietvelt said the pilots were "highly skilled"

"Their passion for flying was matched by their dedication to their colleagues and the important missions they carried out," said a statement.

"We are all deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic loss.

"Our priority is to support the families of those lost, as well as our employees, during this incredibly difficult time.

"We are also fully committed to assisting the authorities in their ongoing investigation."

The nurse who died was named in reports as 31-year-old Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz, originally from Chile, and the doctor was named as German national Dr Matthias Eyl, 46.

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating.

John Johnson, who was at the airport with his wife and children, said the crash happened soon after take off.

"It took off and about three or four seconds [later] it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head first into the ground," he said.

The pilots had waved at his family moments earlier as they taxied the plane to the take-off position, Mr Johnson said.

Zeusch Aviation is based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands.