A single-engine Pilatus PC-6 skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Nancy-Essey airfield near Tomblaine, eastern France, on June 28 at about 11:00 AM local time, killing all 11 people on board [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

The victims included the pilot, five skydiving instructors, and five student skydivers who were nurses making their first jump, French authorities confirmed [1, 3, 4]. Flight data showed the aircraft banked left and then fell almost vertically less than a minute after takeoff, crashing in a grassy area near the runway close to residential neighborhoods and roads [3, 4, 5, 6].

Yves Séguy, prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, said, "The plane, which was transporting 11 people, fell suddenly immediately next to the aerodrome. There were no collateral victims." He added, "Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties," emphasizing how the crash narrowly avoided harming bystanders [2, 7].

Relatives of the victims had gathered near the airfield and witnessed the crash. Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein described it as "a violent shock" and said, "The victims died in full view of their loved ones, who were preparing to film the tandem skydives." A community gathering space was opened in response to the tragedy [3, 4, 6].

Emergency services and psychological support teams responded immediately to care for wreckage witnesses and family members, authorities reported [2, 8, 5]. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot traveled to the scene on the afternoon of the crash. Tabarot said, "There has not been such a serious accident in aeronautics concerning parachute jumping for about 30 years" [3, 4, 5, 6]. Nunez noted the trauma for families who saw the accident firsthand [6].

The cause of the crash remains unclear. A technical investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor and the Air Transport Gendarmerie, with the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) dispatching experts to examine the wreckage [3, 4, 5, 6].

Authorities urged the public to avoid the crash site to allow emergency and investigative work to proceed without disruption [1, 3].