Eleven skydivers are dead after a light aircraft crashed in the French countryside near Versailles, marking one of the deadliest skydiving accidents in recent European history. The plane, a Pilatus PC-12, went down shortly after takeoff from the local aerodrome, with all eight passengers and three crew members perishing. French investigators are currently sifting through the twisted wreckage, searching for black box data that might explain the sudden failure.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves across the Channel, prompting the UK Civil Aviation Authority to launch an urgent review of European air safety standards governing skydiving operations. As a technology and innovation lead, I cannot help but ask: where was the intelligent flight envelope protection? The predictive maintenance alerts?
The digital parachute? We slap facial recognition on airport doors but ignore the frailty of general aviation. The Netherlands has already mandated real-time engine telemetry on all commercial skydiving aircraft.
The UK should follow suit. And fast. Meanwhile, French prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation, looking into potential mechanical failure, pilot error, or even fuel contamination.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is coordinating with national authorities to issue potential safety directives. For the families left behind, no algorithm can bring back their loved ones. But for those of us who build the future, this is a brutal reminder that code must serve flesh and blood.
The user experience of society demands that we wire safety into the very fabric of flight.
