Tomblaine: France was rocked by one of its deadliest private aviation disasters after a civilian aircraft carrying a group of skydivers crashed shortly after take-off in the eastern town of Tomblaine, killing all 11 people on board.
The aircraft, operated by a parachuting school, departed from Nancy-Essey Airfield at around 11:00 a.m. local time, before suddenly plunging to the ground near the edge of the airfield. Authorities confirmed that the pilot and all 10 passengers died in the crash.
Among the victims were five experienced skydiving instructors and five first-time participants preparing for tandem jumps. Several of their family members had gathered at the airfield to witness the experience and tragically watched the aircraft crash moments after take-off.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to determine what caused the fatal accident. Speaking after visiting the crash site, he described the atmosphere as one of ‘very strong emotion’ while praising the solidarity shown toward the victims’ families. Local officials said medical and psychological support teams were immediately deployed to assist grieving relatives and witnesses who experienced the traumatic event.
Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein described the tragedy as particularly heartbreaking, noting that some victims died in full view of their loved ones. Meurthe-et-Moselle departmental president Chaynesse Khirouni said the psychological impact on the families was considerable.
The aircraft crashed near a residential neighbourhood and a shopping centre, narrowly avoiding an even greater catastrophe. Officials said the plane came down almost vertically just metres away from nearby homes.
Yves Seguy, prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said the crash could have resulted in additional casualties had the aircraft fallen only a few meters in another direction. Investigators have yet to determine what caused the plane to lose control. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft veer sharply to the right before disappearing from view.
One motorist, he immediately sensed that something was wrong before hearing the impact. Upon reaching the wreckage, he found the aircraft engulfed in flames and said it was immediately apparent that no one had survived the violent crash.
Tomblaine Mayor Hervé Feron cautioned against drawing conclusions before the investigation is complete, saying the aircraft fell in a completely unexplained manner. While France has been experiencing an intense heatwave, with an amber weather warning in effect for the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, authorities have not confirmed whether weather conditions contributed to the accident.
The tragedy has deeply affected the local community. According to Thierry Pechey, president of a regional nursing organisation, five of those killed were nurses who had organised the skydive as a recreational outing, hoping to relax during an especially demanding period marked by extreme summer temperatures.
According to France’s aviation safety agency, the accident is the deadliest crash involving a private civilian aircraft in the country’s history, excluding military and commercial aviation, underscoring the scale of the tragedy as investigators work to establish the cause.
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