A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed near the town of Tomblaine in northeastern France on Sunday, June 28, 2026, killing all 11 people on board, according to Reuters. The plane went down in a grassy area near the runway of the Nancy-Essey aerodrome, close to a residential area and two roads. The dead included the pilot, five skydiving instructors and five students, according to the local prefecture.
Yves Séguy, prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, confirmed the death toll at a press conference on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft, registered in Germany, was operated by a parachutist school and had taken off from Nancy-Essey Aerodrome, according to French newspaper L’Est Républicain.
Séguy told broadcaster BFM that the aircraft appeared to suffer damage before plunging vertically to the ground. The crash occurred in a built-up area near a shopping center.
“Give or take a few meters and the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” Séguy said, according to CNN. He added at the press conference that there were no bystanders among the victims, according to Reuters.
Three people reportedly survived by ejecting from the aircraft before it crashed, according to local reports cited by India TV News. French authorities had not officially confirmed the identities of those killed as of Sunday afternoon.
Emergency services, including firefighters, police and medical teams, responded quickly to the crash site, according to India TV News. Police sealed off the area around Salvador Allende Street and asked residents to avoid the location so emergency vehicles could reach the scene without obstruction.
Séguy activated the departmental operations center to monitor the situation in real time, according to the Jerusalem Post. Medical and psychological support teams were caring for relatives of the victims present at the airfield, as well as witnesses to the crash, according to Reuters.
France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, was traveling to the scene, the Interior Ministry said, according to Euronews. Amaury Lacôte, deputy public prosecutor in Nancy, said a technical investigation had been opened into the cause of the crash, according to Reuters.
The exact cause of the crash remained unclear as of Sunday. An AFP journalist at the scene reported that the wreckage lay in a grassy field close to homes and two roads near the aerodrome. Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft to determine what led to the accident, according to India TV News.
Regional impact
The crash ranks among France’s deadliest light aircraft accidents, according to Reuters. The Nancy-Essey Aerodrome sits near a populated area of Tomblaine, and Séguy’s comment about the proximity of bystanders pointed to the risk the crash posed beyond those aboard the aircraft. The involvement of France’s interior minister at the national level reflected the scale of the casualty count for a single light aircraft incident.
Background
The aircraft was a Pilatus-type plane, a model commonly used by skydiving operators, registered in Germany, according to L’Est Républicain. It was carrying a group on what franceinfo described as a parachute jump session when it crashed. The Nancy-Essey Aerodrome, located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in northeastern France, is used by light aircraft and skydiving schools. French authorities had not previously flagged safety concerns with the aircraft or operator before Sunday’s crash, based on currently available reporting.
What happens next
Amaury Lacôte, the deputy public prosecutor in Nancy, confirmed that a technical investigation into the crash has been opened. French aviation investigators are expected to examine the wreckage to establish the cause. The local prosecutor’s office had not responded to requests for comment as of Sunday, according to CNN. Authorities have not set a timeline for releasing further findings.
