What happened
The incident occurred shortly after the aircraft departed Canute Airfield, situated in Ashingdon north of Southend. During the initial climb phase, the single-engine airplane experienced difficulties in gaining sufficient height. Consequently, the airframe impacted tall, dense trees located around a nearby churchyard. The aircraft became lodged at an approximate height of 10 metres above the ground.
Both occupants exited the wreckage without sustaining injuries by descending from the tree. Following the event, the aircraft was assessed and declared damaged beyond repair. While the source material identifies the owners as John Henry Arthur Wells and William R. L. Beaumont, and notes that F. Fairhead was piloting the craft at the time of the accident, standard database protocols refer to the operator simply as the pilot.