France's deadliest skydiving plane disaster kills 11 moments after takeoff

Nancy: A small aircraft carrying skydivers crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board in what authorities described as the country's worst skydiving-related aviation accident in about 30 years.

The German-registered Pilatus PC-6 turboprop went down near the town of Tomblaine, outside the city of Nancy, just minutes after departing Nancy-Essey airfield.

Yves Séguier, Prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, said the aircraft crashed near the city of Nancy, adding that the Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

Officials said the aircraft plunged almost vertically and crashed about 300 meters (980 feet) from the end of the runway, narrowly missing nearby homes, a shopping area and a bicycle path.

Hervé Féron, Mayor of Tomblaine, where the crash occurred, said the aircraft came down near a residential area, only a few dozen metres from the airport runway.

No one on the ground was injured.

Among those killed were the pilot, five experienced skydiving instructors and five first-time parachutists who had been preparing for tandem jumps.

Several victims' relatives were at the airfield and witnessed the aircraft fall, prompting authorities to deploy psychological support teams alongside emergency responders.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez travelled to the crash site and said investigators would not speculate on the cause while the inquiry is underway.

Witnesses reported hearing the engine cut out before the aircraft banked sharply and fell from the sky less than a minute after takeoff.

France's air accident investigation agency and judicial authorities have opened parallel investigations into the crash, examining possible mechanical failure, maintenance records and operational procedures.

The aircraft was operated by a company specialising in parachuting flights and had been conducting multiple skydiving sorties earlier in the day.

Aviation experts note that the Pilatus PC-6, a Swiss-built aircraft widely used by skydiving operators around the world, is valued for its short takeoff capability and high climb performance, though investigators cautioned that it is too early to determine whether the aircraft type played any role in the accident.

The disaster has shocked France's aviation and skydiving communities, with officials calling it the country's most severe civilian skydiving aviation tragedy in decades.

Authorities have secured the crash site while forensic teams recover evidence and investigators work to determine what caused the fatal plunge.