Divers recover body from Essex reservoir after plane crash
A man’s body has been pulled from a reservoir in Essex after a small private plane crashed into the water.
Divers found the remains of the unnamed victim in Hanningfield Reservoir on Tuesday after a desperate search lasted until late Monday night.
The victim is believed to be the sole passenger of the plane that crashed after taking an erratic path over Essex on Sunday afternoon, according to flight data.
Essex Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and a file was being prepared for the coroner. Authorities did not share any information about the injured.
The three-seat private aircraft, a Beagle B121 Pup, had left North Weald Airport just before 12pm on Sunday and was bound for Southend Airport when it crashed into the reservoir shortly after 2pm.
Flight data shows the plane was in the air for 1 hour and 23 minutes before the crash.
Chief Inspector Waheed Khan said: “Firstly, I would like to point out that someone has lost their life in tragic circumstances. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident.
“Efforts to formally identify this man will be carried out sensitively with HM Coroner and it is not right for us to formally confirm his identity until this procedure has been followed.”
Essex Police, along with sonar equipment and dive teams, worked with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to find the plane from Monday evening until Tuesday.
The police completed their search, thinking that the body belonged to the only person on the plane.
Tribute flowers have since appeared on the edge of the site.
The Essex Wildlife Trust, which manages the local nature reserve, said the reservoir would remain closed pending police investigations.
Essex and Suffolk Water has assured customers that the incident has not affected water supplies.
A spokesman said: “Essex and Suffolk water teams carefully manage the reservoir to ensure water quality and ecology are maintained.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or other footage of the incident to get in touch onlineExcerpt from incident number 552 dated 28 December.
