Two dead after small plane crashes in field in Essex | Essex
Two people were killed when a light aircraft with “short flight experience” crashed into a field near Ongar in Essex, police said.
Essex police said the two-seater Cessna plane crashed in a field off Mill Lane, Ongar, after taking off from North Weald airport about seven miles westbound on Tuesday. The identities of the two people on the ship were not officially disclosed.
DCS Morgan Cronin, of Kent and Essex Serious Crime, said the plane was on an “expected short journey”.
“The two-seat Cessna plane was making a short flight experience, but unfortunately it did not return. At 12.30,” he said. [on Tuesday] We were contacted by citizens reporting that a small plane had crashed off Mill Lane, Ongar. “Unfortunately, we can now confirm that the two people on board have died.”
Cronin added: “Due to the nature of the incident, it is likely to be a complex process and one that we will approach with sensitivity and compassion. Their families will be supported and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. Our focus is to establish what happened and give families the answers they need, whilst ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect.”
The Air Accident Investigation Branch sent a team of investigators to the scene on Wednesday, who continued to collect evidence. An AAIB spokesman said: “At this point it is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident. We have deployed a multi-disciplinary team, so we have investigators covering engineering, human factors, operations and engineering support.”
Cronin said detectives and forensic teams were working in parallel with the AAIB and police were working with the fire brigade, airport and Epping Forest district council to “form an accurate picture of what happened”.
“We are also speaking to anyone who called emergency services and witnessed a potentially distressing incident,” he added. He said the police would investigate the scene in the coming days. He asked any eyewitnesses or those with footage to call 101 or report online.
