A Pilatus plane crashed Sunday morning in Tomblaine near Nancy, killing all eleven people aboard during a parachuting baptism. The accident is the deadliest in France for general aviation excluding commercial transport.
The aircraft took off around 11 a.m. from Nancy-Essey aerodrome and crashed immediately at the end of the runway on a grassy area. It carried the pilot, five instructors and five trainee liberal nurses who were to jump in tandem.
Meurthe-et-Moselle prefect Yves Séguy announced the toll during a press conference. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot visited the scene. “The emotion is intense,” Laurent Nuñez said.
An investigation has been opened by the collective accidents unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office, supported by the Bureau of Investigations and Analysis. Since the Pilatus is not equipped with black boxes, investigators will examine videos, radar trajectory and flight controls. No collateral victims were reported.
