Story perspectives

Pilatus PC-6 Crash Near Nancy Kills 11, Probe Launched

6/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

A Pilatus PC-6 crashed after take-off from Nancy-Essey airfield in Tomblaine, France, killing 11, including a pilot, instructors, skydivers and nurses on a tandem jump.
Regional prefect Yves Séguy said the aircraft banked left, fell vertically, narrowly missed homes and prevented further casualties.
Emergency services sent medical, fire, police and mental-health teams, while deputy public prosecutor Amaury Lacote and the Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade opened an investigation into mechanical failure.

History

Historical Context

On 12 August 1985 a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 crashed near Mount Takamagahara, killing 520 people. The accident traced to a 1978 tail-strike repair that used two splice plates, cutting the bulkhead’s fatigue strength to about 70 % and failing after roughly 11,000 pressurisation cycles. The disaster spurred Japan’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission and global regulators to tighten aircraft-maintenance audits.

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Story summary

A Pilatus PC-6 crashed after take-off from Nancy-Essey airfield in Tomblaine, France, killing 11, including a pilot, instructors, skydivers and nurses on a tandem jump.
Regional prefect Yves Séguy said the aircraft banked left, fell vertically, narrowly missed homes and prevented further casualties.
Emergency services sent medical, fire, police and mental-health teams, while deputy public prosecutor Amaury Lacote and the Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade opened an investigation into mechanical failure.

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