Eleven skydivers are dead after a plane carrying them crashed in northern France this morning. The aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12, went down near the town of Amiens shortly after takeoff from a local airfield. Sources confirm the plane was operated by a French skydiving club and had been cleared for a routine jump flight.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, but British air safety investigators have already joined the probe. The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is sending a team to assist French authorities, citing the plane’s Swiss registration and the involvement of British nationals among the victims. Uncovered documents show the AAIB has been involved in similar cross-border probes in recent years, where complex ownership structures hide the true liability.
My sources tell me the skydivers were experienced jumpers from multiple European countries, not just France. This raises questions about oversight of private aviation clubs operating across borders. The crash site is now a crime scene as French gendarmes comb the wreckage for black boxes.
The plane’s maintenance records are being seized, and investigators are looking into whether cost-cutting at the club could have compromised safety. This is not just a tragedy. It is a pattern.
Private aviation remains a regulatory grey zone where profit often trumps safety. Watch for the AAIB’s findings. They will tell us if this was mechanical failure or something more sinister.
