Plane crash in France kills 11 on board as skydiving aircraft crashes after take-off

Plane crash in France kills 11 on board as skydiving aircraft crashes after take-off

A plane crash in France has claimed the lives of all 11 people on board after a skydiving aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near Nancy-Essey Airport in eastern France on Sunday.

French authorities confirmed that the victims included the pilot, five skydiving instructors and five trainee skydivers. The aircraft, identified as a Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter, was carrying the group on a recreational skydiving flight when the tragedy occurred near the town of Tomblaine in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department.

According to local officials, the aircraft went down just minutes after taking off, crashing into an open area about 300 metres from the runway. Witnesses reported seeing the plane lose altitude rapidly before plunging almost vertically and bursting into flames on impact.

Emergency services, including firefighters, police officers and medical personnel, responded swiftly to the scene, while authorities cordoned off the area around the airport and urged residents to avoid the location to allow rescue and investigative operations to continue.

“The area must be strictly avoided,” local authorities said in a public safety advisory.

Officials noted that the aircraft narrowly missed nearby homes and commercial buildings, preventing what could have been an even greater disaster.

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The French Interior Ministry confirmed that Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez travelled to the crash site to oversee the government’s response, while Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot expressed condolences to the victims’ families and pledged full cooperation with investigators.

France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) has launched a formal investigation into the accident. Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s maintenance records, weather conditions, pilot communications and any possible mechanical failure that may have contributed to the crash.

Authorities have not yet identified the cause of the accident, and officials say it is too early to determine what triggered the fatal crash.

The tragedy is being described as one of France’s deadliest aviation accidents involving a skydiving aircraft in nearly three decades.

The latest accident comes just weeks after another fatal skydiving plane crash in the United States.

Earlier this month, a skydiving aircraft crashed near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, Missouri, killing all 12 people on board.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the aircraft was being used for recreational skydiving when it crashed shortly after take-off.

“Troopers are on scene assisting the Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff’s Office of a fatal plane crash near the Butler Memorial Airport. At this time, reports indicate all occupants, 12 total, have perished,” the agency said in a statement.

The crash is also being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The two deadly accidents have renewed attention on aviation safety within the recreational skydiving industry, although aviation experts maintain that such incidents remain uncommon compared with the large number of flights conducted annually.

Plane crash in France kills 11 on board as skydiving aircraft crashes after take-off