Plane Crashes Shortly After Takeoff

A small aircraft bound for London has crashed shortly after takeoff at Essex Airport, Netherlands.

According to reports, the plane had ascended to approximately 175 feet before it plummeted back down, crashing into the yard area near the runway. Video footage shared on social media captured thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky, with passengers of nearby flights visibly alarmed as they prepared to board.

Data from Flightradar indicated that the aircraft was scheduled for departure at 3:45 p.m. but took off ten minutes behind schedule.

While the number of people on board the aircraft remains unconfirmed, emergency response teams were quickly deployed to the scene.

Eyewitness John Johnson, who was at the airport with family when the crash occurred, spoke to Sky News, saying: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.

“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.

Another witness told the Metro saying: “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…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.