French military plane crashes in northeast France, one dead

One person has been killed, and one went missing after a military plane crashed in the northeast of France on Wednesday (Oct 21). France's Armed Forces Ministry released a statement about the incident that took place on Tuesday evening. The plane was identified as French Air Force Mirage 2000D and it crashed in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region with two people on board, the ministry statement said. The ministry said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

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Local prefect Yves Seguy told reporters that a wooded area where the plane crashed was searched overnight in adverse weather. The plane was attached to the nearby 133 Nancy-Ochey air base. Col Ludovic Humbert, the base commandant, said the weapons systems officer was a seasoned soldier who was teaming up with a young pilot. The plane had begun its final approach as it returned to base from a night training mission when the crash happened.

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In a statement on Facebook, Henry Lemoine, mayor of nearby Pont-à-Mousson, said a large number of police personnel and firefighters had been deployed to the crash site. Aircraft debris was located using a drone, but further details were not immediately available as emergency operations continued.

The Mirage 2000D specializes in ground-attack missions. A two-seat aircraft, it is designed to operate in complex environments, the ministry said. It supports conventional air operations and power-projection missions.