Emergency teams recovered a man's body Tuesday afternoon from Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex, two days after a small private plane crashed into the water. Essex Police confirmed the deceased is believed to be the sole occupant of the aircraft.
The Beagle B121 Pup had departed from North Weald Airfield just before noon on Sunday. Someone alerted police shortly after 2pm the same day. Multi-agency search teams used sonar equipment to methodically scan the reservoir floor between Chelmsford and Billericay.
Official response
Chief Superintendent Waheed Khan said: "I would firstly like to recognise that someone has lost their life in tragic circumstances. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this incident." He confirmed formal identification will be handled sensitively with HM Coroner. Khan added: "[...] Using sonar equipment under the water the teams methodically scanned the reservoir floor. This has resulted in the discovery of debris and, crucially, a body."
The search involved officers from Essex Police, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, and divers from the Metropolitan Police Service. Search activity concluded Tuesday after the body was found. Police suspect no suspicious circumstances.
Next steps
Officials are preparing a file for the coroner. Responsibility for the reservoir and any further recovery work will pass to the site owners. Essex and Suffolk Water confirmed the incident has not impacted water supply to customers. Their teams are managing the reservoir to protect water quality and ecology.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
