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A skydiving plane crashed in France shortly after takeoff on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, according to French authorities, terrifying families.
The single-engine Pilatus PC-6 crashed shortly after takeoff from Nancy-Essay airfield near the city of Nancy in northeastern France. Officials said the victims included five skydiving instructors, five first-time jumpers and the pilot.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said relatives of some victims saw the plane fall from the sky.
“Some of the victims’ families saw the plane go down with their own eyes,” Nunez said. “So there’s tremendous emotion and even greater psychological trauma.”
Missouri skydiving plane crash that killed all 12 on board is a ‘devastating loss’, company says
Police officers stand near the site where a skydiving plane crashed in Tomblane, northeastern France, on Sunday, June 28, 2026, killing all 11 people on board. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz)
Meurthe-et-Moselle prefect Yves Séguy said the plane suffered an apparent malfunction and “fell almost vertically” after crashing about 300 yards from the runway, disappearing from the populated area.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the plane banked to the left after takeoff before disappearing from radar less than a minute after takeoff.
France’s Bureau of Inquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the country’s aviation accident investigation agency, said on Friday it had opened a safety investigation into the crash involving the Pilatus PC-6. The agency said four investigators and one first-response investigator were dispatched to the scene.
Missouri skydiving plane crash that killed all 12 on board is a ‘devastating loss’, company says
Forensic technicians examine a skydiving plane that crashed in Tomblane, northeastern France, on Sunday, June 28, 2026, killing all 11 people on board. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz)
Authorities have not determined what caused the crash, and officials cautioned that it is too early to speculate while investigators examine the wreckage.
Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein, in a Facebook post, described the accident as “a huge shock that has plunged the Greater Nancy region into mourning”, offering condolences to the families of the victims and those who witnessed the tragedy.
Forensic technicians examine a skydiving plane that crashed in Tomblane, northeastern France, on Sunday, June 28, 2026, killing all 11 people on board. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz)
Klein said he visited the crash site with regional officials and praised the “remarkable professionalism and commitment” of the rescue, medical and security personnel. He also announced that Greater Nancy would open a gathering place at the Marcel Picot Stadium where residents could pay their respects and show solidarity with the families of the victims.
Missouri skydiving plane crash that killed all 12 on board is a ‘devastating loss’, company says
The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture said it activated a public information center on Sunday afternoon to assist families of the victims and said the hotline would reopen on Monday morning as recovery efforts and the investigation continued.
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Transport Minister Philippe Tabrot described the accident as the country’s deadliest skydiving aviation accident in nearly three decades.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
