Skydiving plane crashes near Nancy, killing all 11 onboard

A skydiving plane crashed near Nancy in north-eastern France, killing all 11 people onboard, the prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Yves Séguy, said. The pilot and 10 passengers five students and five instructors died.

Sguy said the parachuting-school aircraft suffered a malfunction and "fell almost vertically" after taking off from Nancy-Essey airfield on the outskirts of Nancy. He added the plane "fell suddenly immediately next to the aerodrome" and that there were no collateral victims.

It crashed on the edge of a built-up area; Sguy warned that "had it occurred just a few dozen metres away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties." Emergency services responded immediately, authorities were taking witness statements and the interior minister, Laurent Nunez, was on his way to the scene.

France, Nancy

skydiving plane, nancy france, nancy-essey, meurthe-et-moselle, yves séguy, laurent nunez, aircraft malfunction, parachuting school, 11 dead, pilot killed