6 days ago
Captain of doomed plane that crashed at Southend Airport killing four is named
The pilots killed in the London Southend Airport plane crash were named today as the airline praised them for their 'professionalism, dedication, and character'.
Captain Danny Marko Franken, 53, and First Officer Floris Christiaan Rhee, 24, were two of the four people on board who all died in the disaster in Essex on July 13.
The medical flight on small plane chartered for a patient to be transported for treatment in the UK crashed within the airport boundary shortly after take-off.
The two male pilots were on board with a female nurse and a male doctor, with the Zeusch Aviation plane bound for its Netherlands base after dropping off a patient.
The nurse was previously named as Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz, 31, a German national originally from Chile, and the doctor was German national Dr Matthias Eyl, 46.
A spokesman for Zeusch Aviation said today: 'With great sadness, we can now confirm the identities of our flight crew who tragically lost their lives on flight SUZ1.
'Our two pilots, Captain Danny Marco Franken and First Officer Floris Christiaan Rhee, were both highly respected and cherished colleagues. Their professionalism, dedication, and character will have a lasting impact on all who worked with them.
'On request of our customer, we do not release any information on the identities of the medical team that was on board of flight SUZ1.
'Our thoughts remain with their families, friends, and all those affected by this devastating loss. Zeusch Aviation continues to offer support to the families and is in close contact with the relevant authorities as investigations continue.'
Essex Police said two days after the tragedy on July 15 that three bodies had been recovered from the crash site. The following day, the fourth body was recovered.
Marco Rietvelt, managing director of Zeusch Aviation, said: 'Danny and Floris were not only highly skilled pilots, but also greatly valued and popular members of our team.
'Their passion for flying was matched by their dedication to their colleagues and the important missions they carried out.
'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.'
An investigation is underway into the cause of the crash involving the Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, which is often used for mapping and for medivac journeys.
The plane had completed two trips that day, one from Athens in Greece to Pula in Croatia and then from Pula to Southend, landing in the UK at 2.51pm.
The crash happened at 3.48pm and led to all flights in and out of the airport, which is used by easyJet, being suspended.
The airport was closed while an investigation was carried out but it partially reopened three days later and resumed normal operations from July 17.
