A small plane carrying parachutists crashed near the town of Tomblaine, close to Nancy in northeastern France on June 28, 2026, around 11 a.m. local time. All 11 people on board were killed, including the pilot, five parachuting students, and five instructors, authorities confirmed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
The aircraft, which was registered in Germany and belonged to a local parachuting training school, came down near Nancy-Essey airfield in a built-up area close to the airport runway [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8]. Regional prefect Yves Seguy said the plane appeared to suffer damage before plunging vertically to the ground near a residential area adjacent to a shopping center. He warned, "Give or take a few meters and the accident could have caused collateral casualties." [1]
Local police quickly cordoned off the crash site and advised the public to avoid the area to aid rescue and investigation efforts [1, 3, 4, 9, 6, 7, 8]. Despite the crash occurring in a populated zone, no injuries were reported among bystanders [2].
Among the victims were several nurses, according to local nurse association official Thierry Pechey, who said, "Among the victims, half were nurses." [2].
French Interior Minister and Transport Minister traveled to the crash site the same day. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the accident as a "terrible tragedy." [1, 2, 4, 6, 7]
Investigators have not ruled out mechanical failure, pilot error, or weather conditions as possible causes of the crash, but the exact cause remains under investigation [6, 8].
The next steps include a thorough inquiry by aviation authorities to determine the crash cause.
