Overview

• The Cessna 172 went down just before 4 p.m. in a residential Champhol neighborhood after attempting a tight turn roughly three minutes after takeoff.
• A 77-year-old former army general piloted the aircraft alongside a couple in their sixties, and all three occupants died on impact.
• No homes were struck in the collision, but a nearby vehicle was damaged and local roads were closed by authorities.
• The plane belonged to the Chartres Métropole aerodrome flying club and had departed from the Chartres airfield.
• Investigators from the Bureau d’enquêtes et d’analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile are expected to begin an on-site examination tonight to determine the cause of the loss of control.