The aircraft crashed near Nancy at around 11 am local time, Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Séguy told reporters near the scene. According to reports, the aircraft had taken off from Nancy-Essey airfield.
Emergency services responded immediately to the scene, and authorities were collecting witness statements, Séguy said.
According to reports, the victims included the pilot, five instructors and five students. Thierry Pechey, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle branch of the Order of Independent Nurses, told BFMTV that the victims appeared to be self-employed nurses from the Nancy area who were taking part in their first skydiving experience.
Several relatives of the victims reportedly witnessed the crash after gathering to watch the group’s introductory skydiving experience. Authorities also set up a medical and psychological support unit for the victims’ families, according to reports.
A witness told the French daily L’Est Républicain that the aircraft crashed into a grassy area alongside a road near residential buildings. “The accident happened around 11 am. I was driving by on my way to do my shopping at Auchan when I saw it dive and crash.”
According to local media reports, the aircraft was a German-registered Pilatus commonly used for parachuting and skydiving operations.
Pierre-Yves Eugène, president of the National Parachutists’ Union, told BFMTV that the aircraft was on its third take-off of the day. He said the Pilatus aircraft is “very demanding” and requires a comprehensive inspection every two years.
Séguy told Le Parisien that the aircraft plunged vertically “without any known cause.” He added there was no flight path suggesting the pilot had attempted an emergency landing. Although the aircraft crashed near residential areas, no one on the ground was injured.
Police asked the public to avoid the area around Rue Salvador Allende in Tomblaine to ensure emergency responders and law enforcement could access the crash site without obstruction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Amaury Lacote told local media that the Public Prosecutor’s Office had tasked the forensic identification service and the Nancy-Metz Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade with investigating the crash.
According to local reports, the crash also caused a general power outage in the area around Tomblaine.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
