Photo: Shutterstock France's national authority for civil aviation safety, the BEA, has today, May 26, 2026, informed the public on a fatal crash involving a parachutist and a Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft (registered F-HFDZ).
The horrible incident took place on May 24 at Frétoy-le-Château. The BEA has opened a safety investigation, sending one investigator and one Element Performance Inspector (EPI) to assess the condition of the aircraft's components on the site.
Cessna 208. Photo: Robin Guess / Shutterstock.comThe Cessna 208 Caravan is a high-wing utility aircraft manufactured by Cessna since 1981. The FAA certified the production model in October 1984 with the Cargomaster freighter variant developed to serve FedEx.
The Cessna 208 can seat up to 9 passengers in an unpressurized cabin and it is powered by a single PT6A tractor turboprop. According to data from the Aviation Safety Network, there have been over 230 accidents and incidents involving the Cessna 208 Caravan, with over 160 fatalities on record.
In December, we reported on another Cessna C550 accident in North Carolina that took the lives of seven, including retired NASCAR racing driver Greg Biffle.
Also today, the BEA announced it has started an investigation into another accident involving a GLASER DIRKS DG500M glider (F-CHJF) that occurred on May 23, 2026, at Bailleau-Armenonville.