A rank of firefighter (illustration). – ALLILI MOURAD / SIPA
At least two people were killed this Saturday in the accident of a tourist plane in Wambrechies (Nord), near Lille, probably following an engine failure, we learned from the firefighters and of the Lille prosecutor’s office. “We are trying to determine the number of victims, which could rise to three,” said Lille prosecutor Carole Etienne.
The plane, apparently a four-seater Robin H-100 according to Carole Etienne, had taken off shortly before noon from Bondues aerodrome, in the Lille metropolis, with three people on board, according to the firefighters. The crash happened at Wambrechies, town next to Bondues, the device falling near a parking lot behind a restaurant in an activity zone.
It immediately caught fire, the fire was then brought under control by firefighters. The Lille prosecutor’s office was in charge of the investigation, jointly entrusted to the Air Transport Research Section (SRTA), the Civil Aviation Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) and the North DDSP. Forensic investigations are underway. “At this stage, we assume an engine failure,” said Carole Etienne.