The Dutch 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 a 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 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.
Mr Franken, from Harderwijk, was married with two children and also worked as a first officer for KLM on Boeing 777, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
He was described by his family in an obituary notice as a ‘dearest husband, cheerful caring father, wonderful son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle’.
They added that his death was ‘still unbelievable’ and a memorial had been set up in a hangar used by Zeusch. A private funeral will take place this Saturday afternoon.
Mr Rhee, who is from Blankenham, had worked for Zeusch since last September after completing his training at European Pilot Selection and Training in the Netherlands.
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.
Footage showed fire and black smoke billowing into the air from the crash site, while witnesses described seeing the jet ‘corkscrew’ before erupting into a ball of flames.
A statement from Zeusch 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 next day, a fourth body was recovered.
Marco Rietvelt, managing director of Zeusch, said today: ‘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.’
Zeusch Aviation is owned by IT millionaire Con Zwinkels, who also piloted a Boeing 747 for Martinair.
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 for many of its holiday routes, being suspended.
The airport was closed while an early investigation was carried out but it partially reopened three days later and resumed normal operations from July 17.
Essex Police have been investigating with the airline, airport, Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Royal Air Force and Essex Fire and Rescue Service.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously paid tribute to emergency responders and the four victims, tweeting: ‘My thoughts are with their families and loved ones.’
