A skydiving plane crashed near Nancy in northeastern France on June 28, killing all 11 people on board. Representative image: iStock
Skydiving plane crash in France kills all 11 on board; cause not known immediately
Five instructors, five trainee nurses, and a pilot perish in a vertical plunge near Nancy, just hours after a Saudi helicopter crash claims 14 lives
All 11 people aboard a civilian skydiving aircraft perished on Sunday (June 28) after it crashed in Tomblaine, a town near Nancy in northeastern France, local authorities confirmed. The cause of the incident was not known immediately.
The aircraft, a German-registered Pilatus, a type widely used in parachute and skydiving operations, went down vertically near residential buildings shortly before midday during its third flight of the day. Despite crashing close to houses, no one on the ground was injured, though the impact triggered a local power outage.
Horror unfolded in front of relatives
The dead are believed to include five skydiving instructors, five trainee participants and the pilot. According to Thierry Pechey, the president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, the students were self-employed nurses from Nancy taking part in their first skydiving experience.
Also Read: Saudi Aramco helicopter crash kills 14 near Ras Tanura; probe underway
Several of their relatives had gathered nearby to watch the jump and witnessed the crash firsthand. Authorities subsequently established a psychological support unit to assist grieving families.
No apparent cause
The regional prefect said the aircraft plunged without any apparent cause and with no indication that the pilot had attempted an emergency landing. Pierre-Yves Eugène, president of the National Parachutists' Union, described the Pilatus as a "very demanding" machine that undergoes mandatory comprehensive inspections every two years.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called it a "terrible tragedy" and said he would visit the crash site alongside Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Police urged the public to stay away from the area around Salvador Allende Street, where the incident happened, to allow unobstructed access for emergency responders.
Also read: AN-32 crash in Assam: What ails the Soviet-era military jet?
A formal investigation has been opened, with the public prosecutor's Office tasking both the forensic identification service and the Nancy-Metz Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade with establishing the cause. The exact circumstances that brought the aircraft down remain unknown.
Saudi crash kills 14
The tragedy comes hours after another fatal aviation accident: a helicopter operated by Saudi Aramco crashed at Ras Tanura on Sunday morning, killing all 14 people on board. The Saudi energy ministry confirmed the crash occurred at six am local time, with all passengers being Saudi nationals. Investigations are underway to determine the cause, with no further details released on the helicopter type or the mission it was carrying out.