Eleven Killed Including Trainee Nurses and Flight Instructors as Skydiving Plane Crashes Near Nancy in Northeast France

Eleven people have lost their lives after a skydiving aircraft crashed just minutes after taking off from the city of Nancy in northeast France on Sunday, June 28, 2026, in what local officials described as an unprecedented tragedy for the region.

What Happened

The incident occurred at approximately 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT) when a German-registered Pilatus PC-6 aircraft descended sharply and struck the ground shortly after becoming airborne during a skydiving operation. Authorities reported that the plane came down “almost vertically, right next to a residential development” — landing on a cycle track near an Auchan supermarket in Tomblaine, a town on the outskirts of Nancy. Remarkably, no bystanders on the ground were injured in the crash.

The mayor of Tomblaine, Hervé Féron, was visibly shaken by the scale of the disaster. “I don’t remember a tragedy of this magnitude,” he said, reflecting the shock felt across the local community.

Who Was on Board

All eleven people on board the aircraft perished in the crash. Five of the victims were trainee students who were undertaking their very first skydiving jump at the time of the accident. The remaining six victims included flight instructors and the aircraft’s pilot. Those on board have since been identified as local trainee nurses who had signed up to participate in an organized introductory parachute jumping experience — an activity commonly offered as a group recreational event for young professionals and student cohorts.

The Pilatus PC-6 aircraft involved in the crash had reportedly been hired from a German company that specializes in providing introductory skydiving jumps for first-time participants.

Emergency Response

Emergency services responded rapidly to the scene. Fire and police departments deployed approximately 50 personnel to the crash site, establishing a security cordon around the area on Rue Salvador Allende to prevent public access and allow rescue and recovery operations to proceed unimpeded.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez traveled to Nancy following the crash, expressing his condolences as he made his way to the site. “I express my full support to the loved ones of the deceased and their families, to the victims,” he said.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the incident as “a terrible tragedy,” joining government officials in expressing grief and solidarity with the families of those killed.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Investigators are expected to launch a formal inquiry into the circumstances that led the aircraft to descend so abruptly and steeply moments after takeoff, with aviation authorities likely to examine the aircraft’s maintenance records, weather conditions, and flight data as part of the investigation.