Eleven killed after plane carrying skydivers crashes in eastern France

Eleven killed after plane carrying skydivers crashes in eastern France

Eleven people died Sunday, June 28, 2026, when a civilian aircraft transporting skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine in northeastern France. The victims include the pilot, five instructors, and five novice jumpers who were preparing for tandem jumps, according to local officials.

The aircraft, identified as a German-registered single-engine Pilatus PC-6, took off from the Nancy-Essey airfield at approximately 11:00 local time. According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the plane banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later. Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, stated that the plane suffered a malfunction and fell almost vertically.

The impact occurred in a grassy area near the runway and a bike path, close to a residential area and an Auchan supermarket. Séguy told French broadcaster BFM that the plane narrowly missed nearby houses, noting that if the crash had occurred just a few dozen meters away, it could have caused collateral casualties.

The tragedy was witnessed by some of the victims' relatives who had gathered at the airfield to film the first-time jumps. Mathieu Klein, the mayor of Nancy, said the victims died in full view of their loved ones. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the resulting psychological trauma as tremendous and noted the very strong emotion at the site.

Among the dead were five self-employed nurses from the local area. Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Nursing Council, told BFM that the colleagues had organized an introductory jump to unwind during a difficult period exacerbated by a searing heatwave. An amber weather warning for high temperatures had been in place for Meurthe-et-Moselle on Sunday.

Witnesses reported hearing the engine fail before the impact. A resident, John Curaku, told BFM-TV he heard a noise as if the engine stopped in mid-air followed by a loud bang. Another witness, who declined to be named, reported seeing the plane veer to the right and later attempted to help extinguish the wreckage, which had caught fire. He stated it was clear the impact was too violent for any survivors.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the event as a terrible tragedy and noted it was France's biggest aviation accident involving skydiving in about 30 years. According to the BEA aviation safety agency, this is the deadliest private plane accident in French history, excluding commercial and military flights.

The Pilatus PC-6 is a small transporter of passengers, freight, and skydivers produced by the Swiss firm Pilatus Aircraft, though production ceased in 2022. The aircraft in this incident had been chartered for a skydiving weekend, according to Tomblaine Mayor Hervé Feron.

The crash also resulted in a power outage in the Tomblaine area, though it is not yet known if the outage was connected to the accident.

A formal technical investigation has been launched by the Paris prosecutor's office in conjunction with the air transport gendarmerie brigade of Nancy-Metz, according to deputy public prosecutor Amaury Lacote. While Mayor Feron suggested weather conditions might have played a role, Minister Nuñez declined to speculate on the cause before the official probe is complete.

Medical and psychological support teams are currently providing care for the victims' families and witnesses. The city of Tomblaine and the Greater Nancy Metropolitan Area have provided rooms at secret locations for the bereaved to gather.