Families Watch in Horror as Skydiving Plane Plummets in France Killing All Eleven on Board [WATCH]

A skydiving plane crashed moments after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard as families watched the aircraft fall from the sky, according to French officials, as reported by Fox News.

The single-engine Pilatus PC-6 departed from Nancy-Essey Airfield near the city of Nancy before crashing less than a minute after takeoff.

Authorities said those killed included five skydiving instructors, five first-time jumpers, and the pilot.

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French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some of the victims’ relatives witnessed the crash unfold.

“Some of the victims’ families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes,” Nuñez said. “So there is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychological trauma.”

Officials said the aircraft experienced what appeared to be a malfunction shortly after leaving the runway. Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Séguy said the plane “fell almost vertically” before crashing about 300 yards from the runway.

The aircraft narrowly avoided a populated area before impacting the ground.

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Flight-tracking information from Flightradar24 showed the Pilatus PC-6 banking to the left shortly after takeoff before disappearing from radar less than one minute into the flight.

Authorities have not determined what caused the crash. Investigators said it remains too early to draw conclusions while the wreckage is being examined.

France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the country’s aviation accident investigation agency, announced on X that it had opened a safety investigation into the accident involving the Pilatus PC-6.

The agency said four investigators and one first-response investigator were dispatched to the crash site to begin examining the evidence.

Emergency crews, forensic personnel, and investigators responded to the scene as recovery efforts got underway.

Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein described the tragedy as “an immense shock that has plunged the Greater Nancy area into mourning” in a Facebook post. He also offered condolences to the victims’ families and to those who witnessed the crash.

Klein said he visited the crash site alongside regional officials and praised the “remarkable professionalism and commitment” shown by rescue workers, medical personnel, and security officials responding to the disaster.

The mayor also announced that Greater Nancy would establish a gathering space at Marcel Picot Stadium where residents could pay their respects and express solidarity with the victims’ families following the tragedy.

The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture said it activated a public information center Sunday afternoon to assist relatives of those killed in the crash.

Officials said the hotline would reopen Monday morning as recovery operations continued and investigators worked to determine what caused the aircraft to go down.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the accident as the country’s deadliest skydiving aviation crash in roughly three decades.

The investigation remains in its early stages, and officials cautioned against speculation until investigators complete their examination of the wreckage, flight data, and other available evidence.

The Pilatus PC-6, a single-engine aircraft commonly used for parachute operations because of its short takeoff and landing capabilities, was carrying a group preparing for a skydiving flight when the fatal crash occurred shortly after departure from Nancy-Essey Airfield.

Authorities have not released any findings regarding the apparent malfunction identified immediately after takeoff.

Investigators are expected to continue examining the aircraft, the flight path, and other evidence as they work to determine the cause of the crash that claimed the lives of all 11 people aboard.

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