The information seems unreal. A twin-engine plane, with three people on board, crash-landed near Boulevard Maxime-Gorki (D 7), in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), this Monday afternoon around 5 p.m., just outside next to the Villejuif-Paul-Vaillant-Couturier metro station. Traffic on the artery was cut in both directions.
The plane, which was flying between Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and Toussus-le-Noble (Yvelines), landed in the garden at the back of a residence, more precisely “on the roofs of the underground car parks » of the neighboring building, explains Gaëlle Leydier, first deputy mayor of Villejuif, present on site. The cabin partially dislocated under the impact.
According to initial information, an 80-year-old instructor was in the passenger compartment with two 30-year-old students. The three victims were “transported in absolute emergency to hospitals in the area, but their vital prognosis is not engaged”, announces Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre David, spokesperson for the Paris fire brigade (BSPP) . An outcome deemed “quite miraculous” by the Val-de-Marne prefecture.
The trail of “engine failure”
The plane apparently landed in an emergency due to “engine failure”. It is not known who was at the controls of the aircraft at the time of this accident.
The occupants on the ground floor of the multi-story building were surprised to discover the plane embedded against their windows and a wall. Just behind are garages on which the tail of the aircraft fell and became detached from the rest of the cabin. The wings were largely torn off.
“The two engines were found with the aircraft, there was nothing to look for elsewhere in Villejuif or the surrounding area. And no fire broke out following the crash, there was no flame,” specifies the BSPP, which refers to an “extremely rare” intervention within its scope of action.
“Five minutes ago, I was at this place taking out the trash.”
Magalie, concierge of the building concerned, remains stunned by what she has just experienced: “There was a big light and a big boom. Like the sound of a chimney bursting in your face, she testifies. Five minutes earlier, I was at this location taking out the trash. » She immediately rushed to the device. ” I ran. And I saw the occupants of the plane get out on their own. »
Anis, who lives on the other side of Boulevard Maxime-Gorki, admits “having a hard time believing” the information when a concierge explained to him what had happened: “I had to ask a firefighter to understand that it was true. » At the exit of the metro station, which is a few meters from the crash site, travelers came face to face with dozens of police officers, firefighters and flashing lights. “There was no panic. People remained calm. And there was no need to evacuate any buildings in the area,” explains Gaëlle Leydier.
Around a hundred firefighters mobilized
Significant resources were deployed on site to provide first aid, including around a hundred firefighters, numerous police officers, municipal services and Civil Protection. The public prosecutor of Créteil, Stéphane Hardouin, visited the site early in the evening.
A blatant investigation was opened for “unintentional injuries” and “endangering the lives of others”. It was entrusted as a co-referral to the air transport gendarmerie and the Kremlin-Bicêtre police station (Val-de-Marne). The Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) has, for its part, opened a safety investigation.