Skydiving plane crash in northeastern France kills 11 people

Skydiving plane crash in northeastern France kills 11 people

A skydiving excursion ended in a mass casualty event on Sunday, when a plane crashed in northeastern France, killing all 11 people on board. The aircraft suffered a malfunction shortly after departing from the Nancy-Essey Airport on the outskirts of Nancy, according to regional authorities.

The victims included the pilot, five skydiving instructors, and five students. According to Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein, the participants were intended to perform tandem jumps, a process where an instructor and a first-time jumper are attached together for the descent.

Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, told reporters and the broadcaster BFM-TV that the plane fell almost vertically due to the malfunction. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicates the aircraft banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later.

The aircraft was identified by flight tracking sites as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a model used for transporting passengers, freight, and skydivers. The plane was owned by a skydiving club.

The site of the crash was on the edge of a built-up area near the airfield. Séguy warned that if the plane had fallen just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties.

A local resident, John Curaku, told BFM-TV that he was in his garden when he heard the sound of an engine stopping, followed by a bang. Curaku reported that when he reached the site, there were no signs of life, and noted that two bodies had been thrown a few meters from the wreckage.

French Transport Minister Phillipe Tabarot described the event as a terrible tragedy in a social media post, extending condolences to the families of the 11 people who lost their lives.

The crash caused significant psychological distress for those on the ground. Mayor Klein stated that friends and families of the jumpers had gathered to watch the activity and witnessed the plane fall from the sky, resulting in numerous victims of psychological trauma.

Séguy confirmed that emergency medical teams, police, fire services, and mental health support were deployed to the scene. Emergency services provided immediate psychological support to relatives while authorities began collecting witness statements.

This incident follows a similar tragedy that occurred on June 14 in Butler, Missouri. In that instance, a Pacific Aerospace P750 crashed shortly after taking off from the Butler Memorial Airport, killing a pilot and 11 skydivers, according to Butler County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Authorities in France are continuing to work to determine the exact cause of the malfunction that led to the crash. The identities of the victims have not been released.