Deadly Skydiving Plane Crash in Northeastern France Kills All 11 on Board
A skydiving aircraft carrying parachutists and novice jumpers crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board. Authorities confirmed the deaths of five parachutists, five beginner jumpers, and the pilot in what officials described as France’s worst skydiving accident in approximately 30 years.
Families Witnessed the Crash
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that some family members of the victims witnessed the plane go down with their own eyes, amplifying the emotional toll on those gathered at the airfield.
“The emotions are enormous and the psychological trauma is even greater,” Nunez said, noting that he would not speculate on the cause of the crash but confirmed that the plane suddenly fell from the sky.
Shortly After Takeoff
The aircraft had just departed from Nancy-Essey airfield, located on the outskirts of the city of Nancy, when it crashed roughly 300 meters from the runway. According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the plane banked to the left after takeoff and went down near residential houses less than a minute later.
Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, said the plane malfunctioned and “crashed almost vertically,” narrowly missing a built-up area. “If the accident had occurred just a few dozen meters away, fatalities could have occurred,” he added.
Aircraft Identified
Flight tracking agencies identified the aircraft as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a small transport plane commonly used for cargo, passenger transport, and parachuting operations. Police cordoned off the crumpled wreckage at the scene.
Tandem Jumps Were Planned
Nancy’s mayor Mathieu Klein told public broadcaster France Info that the skydivers were scheduled to jump in tandem — a format in which an instructor and a beginner jumper are harnessed together during the descent.
Emergency Response and Investigation
Emergency services responded immediately and provided psychological support to the victims’ families. The Paris prosecutor’s office is leading the investigation into the crash, according to Nunez.
A local resident told BFM-TV that he was in his yard when he heard what sounded like a plane’s engine cutting out, followed by a loud bang. He said he went to the crash site and “found no signs of life,” with two of the bodies thrown just meters from the wreckage.
