A Cirrus SR-20 aircraft belonging to the French Air and Space Force crashed during a training flight in the commune of Salon-de-Provence, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the French Air and Space Force confirmed the incident in an official statement.
The two crew members on board—a pilot and an instructor—sustained injuries but managed to issue a distress signal before the crash. Authorities noted that the crew successfully steered the aircraft away from residential areas, ensuring that no third parties were harmed on the ground.
"The two military personnel from the Air Force School managed to land the aircraft and evacuate it before it caught fire," officials from the Salon-de-Provence city hall reported.
The Salon-de-Provence area is historically significant in French aviation, as it hosts the prestigious École de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Academy), which serves as the primary training institution for French Air Force officers. Aviation accidents involving training aircraft are subject to rigorous safety investigations by French military authorities to determine technical or human factors involved in such incidents.
