Southend Airport plane crash: Two pilots killed named as Zeusch Aviation pays tribute to their dedication
Two pilots who died in a plane crash at Southend Airport earlier this month have been named as Captain Danny Marco Franken and First Officer Floris Christiaan Rhee.
The pair, believed to be Dutch nationals, were operating the flight on behalf of Zeusch Aviation when the aircraft went down shortly after take-off on 13 July.
The Beechcraft Super King Air 200 had reportedly just completed a mission transporting a patient to the UK for medical treatment and was returning to the Netherlands when the crash occurred. Two passengers, a nurse and a doctor accompanying the medical flight, were also killed.
Zeusch Aviation confirmed the names of the pilots and paid tribute to their professionalism and commitment. “Their passion for flying was matched by their dedication to their colleagues and the important missions they carried out,” said company boss Marco Rietvelt.
“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 two other victims were named in reports as 31-year-old nurse María Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, originally from Chile, and 46-year-old German national Dr Matthias Eyl.
Eyewitness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his wife and children, described the crash moments 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. He added that the pilots had waved at his family just moments earlier as they taxied to the runway.
Images from the scene showed the aftermath of the crash, including a fireball and wreckage on airport grounds. A photograph from September 2024 shows the same aircraft at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is currently investigating the cause of the crash.
Zeusch Aviation is based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands.