On Sunday, 28 June 2026, a light aircraft crashed in the municipality of Tomblaine, near Nancy, in northeastern France. The Pilatus PC-6, which had just taken off at around 11 am, plunged almost vertically and came down near a cycle path in a residential area close to the airport. All eleven people on board were killed.
The prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Yves Séguy, confirmed that the aircraft was conducting parachute jump exercises when it suffered a malfunction. “It fell almost vertically, on the very edge of a housing estate, right next to the aerodrome,” he said. Those on board included five instructors, five student parachutists, and the pilot. According to a source close to the investigation, the students were a group of self-employed nurses taking part in their first parachute jump.
French interior minister Laurent Nuñez noted that some of the victims’ families were at the airport at the time of the crash. “Some of them saw the aircraft fall, which adds to the shock,” he said. Despite the accident occurring in a residential area near a large supermarket, no one on the ground was injured. Psychological support has been made available for witnesses, and victim support associations Paris Aide aux Victimes and France Victimes 54 have been called in to assist the families.
Investigation Challenges
The collective accidents unit of the Paris public prosecutor’s office has taken charge of the case, with the investigation entrusted to the Air Transport Gendarmerie. Fifteen specialist officers, including forensic identification technicians and air accident investigators, are currently deployed. Their tasks include retrieving communications with the control tower, analysing radar data, gathering witness statements, and examining the aircraft’s technical condition and maintenance history.
However, the investigation faces significant hurdles. Aviation consultant and president of Aviation Sans Frontières, Gérard Feldzer, told France Info that the aircraft was not fitted with black boxes. Furthermore, according to information he has obtained, there were no exchanges between the pilot and the control tower before the crash. The aircraft came down just 300 metres from the runway. Witnesses in the area reported that the engine cut out very shortly after take-off, at too low an altitude for the pilot to have had time to react. Investigators are therefore relying on photographic and video material, including any footage captured by passengers or bystanders on the ground, to help reconstruct the final moments of the flight.
This tragedy adds to a series of recent incidents across France. The country has been grappling with a severe heatwave, which has led to approximately 1,000 excess deaths and forced cuts in nuclear output due to strained river ecosystems. In a separate incident, a toddler died in an unlocked car in southern France amid the heatwave. The crash near Nancy, while unrelated to the weather, underscores the importance of rigorous safety protocols in aviation, especially for training flights.
The local community in Tomblaine is in shock, and the authorities are working to support the families of the victims. The investigation is expected to take weeks, with officials urging anyone with relevant footage or information to come forward.
