Eleven people are dead after a skydiver plane crashed in the French Alps this morning. Sources confirm the aircraft, a twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo, went down shortly after takeoff from the Grenoble-Isère airport. The victims include eight skydivers and three crew members.
French authorities have launched an investigation, but UK aviation safety experts are already on the scene. That is not routine. The plane was registered in Britain.
The company that operated it has a history of safety violations. Uncovered documents show two prior incidents involving the same aircraft type. The National Transportation Safety Board in France is leading the inquiry, but British experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have joined.
That suggests a coordinated effort to trace the wreckage back to UK maintenance records. One former investigator told me off the record: 'We will be looking at everything from the last annual inspection to the pilot's logbook.' The company in question has not yet commented.
But a source inside the company says the pilot had logged over 3,000 hours. That means nothing. Hours do not buy you immunity from mechanical failure.
The plane was 40 years old. It had been refurbished twice. Refurbishments are not overhauls.
The local mayor has confirmed no survivors. Emergency services report severe fire damage to the wreckage. The flight was a pleasure jump for experienced skydivers.
They never made it to altitude. Questions are being asked about the pre-flight checks. One skydiver who was due to be on the flight but missed it says the plane had been having engine trouble.
That claim has not been verified. But it will be. The investigation is expected to take months.
But the families of the dead do not have months. They have questions. And I will find the answers.
