4 killed in light aircraft crash in France’s Pyrenees

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) – Four people were killed when a light aircraft crashed in the Pyrenees in France’s Ariege department, local prosecutors said.

The DR 400 plane, carrying an instructor and three students from the National School of Civil Aviation (ENAC), went down Sunday near the Eychelle pond in Bethmale, according to the Foix prosecutor’s office.

The aircraft was expected to land at Saint-Girons–Antichan airfield at 5.40 pm (1640 GMT). Around 6 pm (1700 GMT), emergency services received a distress call.

A National Gendarmerie helicopter located the wreckage around 8 pm at an altitude of about 2,000 meters in a snowy, hard-to-access area, BFM TV reported. A gendarme who reached the site confirmed that all four on board had died.

Authorities identified the victims as three ENAC students aged 18 to 21 and a 25-year-old instructor from the Saint-Girons flying club.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash. Officials said the bodies have not yet been recovered due to the difficult terrain, and an autopsy will be conducted when possible.

France’s Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot offered condolences, saying the young aviators “embodied the future of our aviation.” A support unit has been activated for families.