Possible engine issues, no black box? Key details from France plane crash that killed 11 soon after take-off
The skydiving plane crashed in France's Tomblaine region soon after take-off, but eyewitnesses reported no fire or explosions mid-air
The skydiving plane crashed in France's Tomblaine region soon after take-off, but eyewitnesses reported no fire or explosions mid-air.
The skydiving plane crashed in France's Tomblaine region soon after take-off, but eyewitnesses reported no fire or explosions mid-air.
The skydiving plane crashed in France's Tomblaine region soon after take-off, but eyewitnesses reported no fire or explosions mid-air.
Engine issues have emerged as a possible reason for a plane crash in northeastern France's Tomblaine region that killed at least 11 people—the pilot and 10 passengers.
The civilian aircraft, identified as a German-registered Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4, had been carrying a group of five students, and five instructors.
A short while after taking off from the Nancy-Essey airfield at around 11 AM (local time), the plane "crashed immediately at the end of the runway", the police told local media outlet Le Figaro.
Despite crashing in a grassy area near housing developments in Tomblaine, the authorities said that there were no on-ground casualties.
About the plane's short-lived journey, a witness told Reuters that a short while after it took off, the engine noise suddenly stopped, as if it had cut out.
The unnamed witness added that no fire, explosions, or other visible issues were seen before the plane crashed.
Yves Seguy, the local prefect, also confirmed to local media that the aircraft had plunged vertically to the ground.
"Give or take a few metres and the accident could have caused collateral casualties," he added.
The Paris Criminal Investigation Department and the Nancy-Metz Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade have now been tasked with the official probe into the incident.
They will also be aided by the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), which will be crucial, since black boxes are not a mandatory requirement in this specific model of Pilatus planes.
However, THE WEEK could not independently verify whether the plane that crashed on Sunday had a black box or not.
In the absence of a black box or similar equipment that could offer clues about the causes of the incident, investigators will mainly have to rely on analyses of the engine and the aircraft controls, among other methods.
On local TV channel BFMTV, Pierre-Yves Eugène, president of the national parachutists' union, also pointed out that the Pilatus is a "very demanding machine for which an inspection must be carried out every two years".
Former BEA chief Jean-Paul Troadec told local media outlet Noovo Info that apart from a possible engine malfunction, poor passenger seating inside the aircraft could also have added to the issue.
He also explained that it was also possible the pilot may have faced a medical emergency, "a hypothesis we will certainly examine because it was very hot".