TOMBLAINE, France — Eleven people were killed after a civilian aircraft operated by a skydiving school crashed shortly after takeoff near an airfield in the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, prompting a judicial investigation into one of the country’s deadliest private aviation accidents.
French authorities said the pilot and all 10 passengers died in the crash. The victims included five skydiving instructors and five people preparing to make their first tandem parachute jump.
The aircraft had departed from Nancy-Essey Airfield before crashing at about 11:00 a.m. local time. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the cause of the accident, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
Families Witness Tragic Crash
Nuñez said several relatives of the victims were present at the airfield to watch the first-time skydivers before the aircraft went down.
The mayor of nearby Nancy, Mathieu Klein, said some victims died “in full view of their loved ones,” while Chaynesse Khirouni, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle departmental council, said the families had suffered “considerable psychological trauma.”
Medical personnel and psychological support teams were deployed to assist relatives and witnesses following the disaster, according to Nuñez.
Speaking after visiting the site, the interior minister described the atmosphere as one of profound grief, while noting the strong support shown to affected families and rescue workers.
Crash Narrowly Missed Residential Area
Authorities said the aircraft crashed near the edge of the airfield, close to a residential neighborhood and a shopping center.
Yves Seguy, prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said the plane narrowly avoided causing additional casualties.
“Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” Seguy told French broadcaster BFM, adding that the aircraft descended “almost vertically” before impact.
The wreckage caught fire after the crash, but officials said no one on the ground was injured.
Witness Describes Final Moments
A witness who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said he observed the aircraft veering to the right while driving nearby.
“Something was clearly wrong,” the witness said.
He said an embankment blocked his view of the actual impact, but he heard the crash and rushed to the scene to help extinguish the burning wreckage.
According to the witness, it quickly became apparent that there were no survivors because of the severity of the impact.
Investigation Underway
Tomblaine Mayor Hervé Feron said the aircraft fell from the sky “in a completely unexplained manner” and cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigators complete their work.
He said it remained unclear whether weather conditions played any role in the accident.
Nuñez also declined to speculate on possible causes, saying investigators would determine what led to the crash.
At the time of the accident, Meurthe-et-Moselle remained under an amber heat warning as France continued to experience a prolonged heatwave affecting much of Europe.
Victims Included Healthcare Workers
Thierry Pechey, president of a local nursing organization, told BFM that five of those killed were nurses who had chosen to make their first skydiving jump together.
He said they had planned the activity as a way to relax during an especially demanding period marked by the ongoing heatwave.
According to Agence France-Presse, citing France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the crash is the deadliest accident involving a private civilian aircraft in French history, excluding military and commercial aviation.
The investigation by French authorities is expected to examine the aircraft, flight conditions, maintenance records, and other factors to determine the cause of the crash.
Tags: France, Tomblaine, Nancy-Essey Airfield, Plane Crash, Skydiving, Aviation Safety, Laurent Nuñez, Meurthe-et-Moselle, BEA, Emergency Response, Accident Investigation, Europe
