11 killed as skydiving plane crashes in residential France town

A chartered skydiving flight ended in catastrophe when a Pilatus PC-6 crashed in Tomblaine, in northeastern France, killing all 11 people aboard and sending wreckage into a grassy area near Nancy-Essey aerodrome. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff on June 28, while climbing over a residential zone close to two roads and about 300 meters from the runway.

The aircraft was registered in Germany and had been booked for a skydiving weekend. The cause was not immediately clear when investigators opened a technical probe, and it remained unknown whether extreme heat in the region played any role in the crash.

A witness said the engine noise stopped abruptly, as if the motor had cut out, before the plane hit the ground without any visible fire or explosion. Yves Seguy, the regional prefect, said the aircraft plunged vertically and could have caused more deaths if it had landed only a few meters differently.

The dead included five student parachutists who were nurses. Thierry Pechey, head of Meurthe-et-Moselle’s nursing council, said the nurses were colleagues who had decided to make their first skydiving jump together. Mayor Mathieu Klein of nearby Nancy said the victims died in full view of loved ones who were preparing to film the tandem skydives.

French authorities moved quickly to secure the area and begin recovery work. Police urged the public to avoid the airport area so emergency responders could operate freely, while a cordon was put in place around Rue Salvador Allende and the Nancy-Essey area. The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture activated its crisis center, and medical and psychological support teams were sent to help relatives and witnesses at the airfield.

The BEA said it was the most serious general aviation accident in terms of loss of life, excluding military and commercial aviation, and Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said there had not been such a serious parachuting accident in about 30 years. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Tabarot were headed to the scene as the local prosecutor opened a technical investigation.