Two dead after Cessna crashes near High Ongar, Essex
A two-seat Cessna on a short flying experience flight crashed off Mill Lane in High Ongar, killing both people aboard and sending investigators back to North Weald Airfield.
Two people died after a two-seat Cessna came down in a field off Mill Lane in High Ongar, Essex, during a short flying experience flight that had left North Weald Airfield earlier that day. The crash happened at about 12:30 BST on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. Essex Police confirmed that both occupants had died.
The aircraft was reported missing after it failed to return from the flight. Formal identification had not yet taken place, and Essex Police are carrying out the investigation alongside the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, North Weald Airfield and Epping Forest District Council.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch classified the event as an accident, and its inspectors’ inquiries are ongoing. Essex Police are speaking to witnesses and asking anyone with CCTV, dashcam or other footage to come forward as they work to reconstruct the aircraft’s final minutes and the circumstances that led it down near the village.
North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome in Epping Forest, owned and operated by Epping Forest District Council, and it is used for private aircraft, flight training and flying experiences. It dates back to 1916 as a First World War night landing ground and later became a Battle of Britain fighter station.
St Mary’s Church in the village posted a prayer message for everyone involved, emergency services and the local community affected.
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