In brief
A small aircraft used by a parachute school crashed in Tomblaine, eastern France, killing the pilot and all ten passengers, including five instructors and five first‑time skydivers. The crash occurred during a heatwave warning for the region and prompted an investigation by the Paris prosecutor's office. Local officials say the wreck happened near a residential area close to a shopping centre, narrowly missing houses. Witnesses observed the plane veer off, heard the impact, and emergency crews extinguished a post‑crash fire. The incident is the deadliest private aircraft accident in French history outside of military and commercial flights.
Eleven people have lost their lives after a civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine, eastern France.
The pilot and all ten passengers were killed, including five seasoned instructors and five individuals who were preparing to skydive for the first time.
The light aircraft, used by a parachuting school, departed from Nancy‑Essey airfield and crashed suddenly at around 11:00 local time (10:00 BST).
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that the Paris prosecutor's office would launch an investigation into the cause of the incident.
Several relatives witnessed the crash, having gathered at the airfield to watch the first‑tandem jumps. The mayor of the nearby city of Nancy, Mathieu Klein, said some victims died “in full view of their loved ones”.
President of the eastern department Meurthe‑et‑Moselle, Chaynesse Khirouni, highlighted the considerable psychological trauma experienced by family members.
The crash occurred near the edge of the airfield, close to a residential area and a shopping centre, narrowly missing houses. Prefect Yves Seguy told broadcaster BFM that the plane fell “almost vertically” near a housing estate.
Half of the skydivers who died were nurses who had decided to go on their first skydiving jump, perhaps to unwind amid the ongoing heatwave, said the president of a local nursing organisation, Thierry Pechey.
The crash is the deadliest private plane accident in French history, according to the country's BEA aviation safety agency.
A witness, who preferred anonymity, reported seeing the plane veering to the right as he passed by, hearing a sound, and arriving at the site to help extinguish the wreckage that caught fire.
Tomblaine Mayor Hervé Feron stated that the aircraft fell “completely unexplained” and that “it is too early to find explanations”. Weather conditions may have played a role, but it remains uncertain.
France has been experiencing a severe heatwave; Meurthe‑et‑Moselle had an amber weather warning for high temperatures on the day of the accident.
