22 Killed as Plane in Paris Holding Pattern Crashes

A twin-engine commuter plane flying from Nancy to Paris crashed near the capital this morning while waiting to land, killing all 22 people aboard including members of a skiing party, aviation authorities said.

The Fairchild 227 turboprop, owned by the small aviation company TAT, apparently hit high-tension wires and crashed in a field in Pamfou, a town near Melun, 25 miles southwest of Paris, police said.

The force of the crash gouged a huge hole in the plowed land, police said. Officials said there was snow in the region and temperatures were below freezing.

The aircraft was carrying 19 passengers, including a baby, and three crew members.

The director of the Nancy-Essey airport, Jean-Claude Philippe, said the plane had been circling the Melun area in the Seine-et-Marne region, 25 miles southeast of Paris, waiting for orders to land at Orly airport.

Decourt said the plane was in the holding pattern for six to seven minutes after the 50-minute flight from Nancy, then “plunged very rapidly” to the ground.

The last ground contact with the plane was at 7:32 a.m., according to the control tower at Orly. The aircraft disappeared from the radar five minutes later.

A trainee flight attendant, Helene Guillou, said in Nancy that she missed the flight because she overslept.

“I was an intern hostess and this morning I didn’t hear the alarm clock,” Guillou said.

She said the same plane made a trip without problems Thursday night but that the pilot had mentioned icy conditions.