A skydiving plane crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, authorities said. The aircraft experienced a malfunction and descended nearly vertically shortly after departing from the Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of Nancy.
The crash occurred on the edge of a populated area near the airfield, according to Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region. Séguy noted that the accident could have resulted in additional casualties had it happened a short distance away.
The plane belonged to a skydiving club and was engaged in a parachute jump operation at the time of the incident. Global flight tracking service provider Flightradar24 reported that the plane banked to the left after takeoff and crashed less than a minute later, close to residential buildings.
Local newspaper L'Est Républicain identified the deceased as five skydiving instructors, five clients, and the pilot. Flight tracking sites identified the aircraft as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a model commonly used for transporting freight, passengers, and skydivers.
Emergency services responded immediately. Authorities are collecting witness statements while providing psychological support to the relatives of the victims. Police have cordoned off the wreckage site. A local resident, John Curaku, told broadcaster BFM-TV that he heard a plane's engine stop, followed by a loud bang, while he was in his garden. Upon reaching the crash site, he observed no signs of life, with some bodies found several yards from the aircraft.