Overview
- The Pilatus used for parachute jumps crashed shortly after leaving Nancy-Essey aerodrome and hit a street near a supermarket in Tomblaine on Sunday, with no reported injuries on the ground.
- All 11 people on board died, officials say; local reports identify the dead as the pilot, five parachute instructors and five students while formal identification continues.
- The prefecture opened an official investigation and aviation specialists from France’s BEA and local forensic teams are securing the site, reviewing maintenance records and analysing flight data.
- Around 50 firefighters, medical teams and police sealed the scene and provided victim and witness support, and the interior and transport ministers visited to follow the response and probe.
- The crash, which passengers and relatives reportedly watched unfold at the aerodrome, has prompted questions about safety for small parachuting aircraft and urban zones near aerodromes as investigators work to establish exact causes.