On 28 June 2026, a Pilatus PC-6 Porter carrying skydivers crashed immediately after takeoff from Nancy-Essey Airport in Tomblaine, France, killing all eleven occupants. The accident is the deadliest skydiving plane crash in French history.
Background Aircraft The aircraft involved was D-FIPS, a Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter manufactured in 1991, operated by Classic Wings/KIAS Airlines and leased to Tandemotion Parachutisme. Passengers and crew The pilot, five instructors, and five trainee parachutists were on board the aircraft. The trainees were reportedly a group of nurses. None of them survived.
Accident The aircraft crashed at around 11a.m. into a bike path in a residential area about from the runway, narrowly missing nearby homes and a shopping centre. The plane plunged vertically to the ground. A witness said the plane seemingly experienced engine failure. A resident said two bodies were thrown a few meters from the plane. A significant emergency response was mobilized, with police units and 50 firefighters deployed to the scene. The prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Yves Séguy, brought together the relevant services for real-time monitoring of the situation. The French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, also visited the site.
Investigation The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) sent four investigators and a first information investigator to the crash scene. A judicial inquiry for involuntary manslaughter was opened on 6 July.
The BEA's July preliminary report said two instructors shouted "there's smoke" during rotation, though none was visible on videos. The engine's gas generator speed then fell by about 10%, and the aircraft pitched up and entered an asymmetric stall.
See also 2026 Butler PAC P-750 crash: Another skydiving plane crash in 2026
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