A passenger plane crashed on Thursday afternoon near Chambéry, at the Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux airfield in Savoie, killing the two people on board, an Austrian couple. The accident occurred at around 4.10pm, shortly after take-off, when the aircraft suddenly plunged towards the ground, crashing at the end of the runway a few dozen metres from the tarmac

The two occupants of the aircraft, found burnt to a crisp by the emergency services, were identified as a man and a woman in their fifties. An investigation into manslaughter has been opened by the Chambéry public prosecutor’s office. The fire brigade and gendarmes were quickly mobilised to the scene of the crash, where the plane, a recent model, ended up in a gravel pit, according to information from France Bleue Savoie, confirmed by the prefecture to H24 MEDIA.

The exact circumstances of the accident have yet to be determined, and a team of civil security experts has been called in to inspect the wreckage. As a precautionary measure, a nearby house has been evacuated, and the crash area has been secured to allow investigators to work. A team from the Orly air transport research unit is expected to be on site on Friday morning to conduct the investigation and shed light on the causes of this tragic accident.