Both crew of French Mirage jet confirmed dead near Nancy
French prosecutors confirmed the deaths of a pilot, 27, and navigator, 44, after their Mirage 2000D crashed during a night training flight near Nancy.
French military prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that both crew of a Mirage 2000D fighter jet died when it crashed during a night training flight near Nancy on Tuesday. The pilot, Lieutenant Quentin Klysz, 27, and the navigator, Lieutenant-Colonel Antranig Sarkissian, 44, were named by France's defence ministry.
"The elements found at the accident site confirm two deaths," deputy Metz prosecutor Thomas Bernard said, adding that DNA analysis was still under way to confirm the identities. The pilot's body was found on Wednesday; the navigator's body was confirmed dead on Thursday after a two-day search.
The jet, from the Nancy-Ochey air base's 2/3 "Champagne" fighter squadron, crashed shortly before eleven at night on Tuesday as it returned from a night training exercise, coming down in a wooded area between the villages of Tremblecourt and Domèvre-en-Haye, in Meurthe-et-Moselle. Air traffic control had lost all contact and radar track with the aircraft, prosecutors said.
Neither crew member had time to eject before impact, Metz prosecutor David Touvet said; the ejector-seat motors were found at the crash site. Poor weather, including rain, fog and wind, had prevented a helicopter from reaching the area, delaying a search that instead relied on personnel on foot supported by drones.
Sarkissian, based at Saint-Dizier air base, had flown 2,200 hours and completed 55 combat missions, including deployments to Afghanistan, Mali, Niger, Sudan and Chad, the defence ministry said. Klysz, who had been posted to Nancy-Ochey since August 2025, had 450 flying hours and was training to qualify as an operational combat pilot, air force spokesman Colonel David Pappalardo said.
Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said she was "profoundly moved" by the deaths, and President Emmanuel Macron offered "the nation's condolences" to the families. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been opened by the Metz prosecutor's office and handed to the air and space gendarmerie; officials said no hypothesis had yet been ruled in or out.
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What we know
- Official · Metz prosecutor's office Both crew of a Mirage 2000D died when it crashed near Nancy on Tuesday night during a training flight, prosecutors confirmed.
- Official · France's defence ministry The dead are pilot Lieutenant Quentin Klysz, 27, and navigator Lieutenant-Colonel Antranig Sarkissian, 44, the defence ministry said.
- Official · Metz prosecutor's office Neither had time to eject before impact; air traffic control had lost contact with the jet beforehand.
- Official · Metz prosecutor's office The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Metz prosecutor's office and the air and space gendarmerie.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The crash is the latest accident involving the Nancy-Ochey air base, where seven service members died in 2015 after a Greek F-16 crashed. Officials said the Mirage 2000D involved had been recently modernised and was considered reliable, with no obvious fault identified so far.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Le Progrès: Meurthe-et-Moselle. Crash d'un Mirage 2000D près de Nancy : les deux militaires sont morts, leurs identités révélées
- La Dépêche du Midi: Crash d’un Mirage 2000D en Meurthe-et-Moselle : le deuxième militaire à bord de l’avion retrouvé mort
- Le Quotidien: Crash du Mirage près de Nancy : les deux militaires sont morts
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Questions and answers
- Who died in the Mirage 2000D crash?
- Pilot Lieutenant Quentin Klysz, 27, and navigator Lieutenant-Colonel Antranig Sarkissian, 44, France's defence ministry said.
- What caused the crash?
- The cause is still under investigation; air traffic control had lost contact with the jet, and neither crew member had time to eject.
- Where and when did it happen?
- The jet crashed in a wooded area near Tremblecourt and Domèvre-en-Haye, in Meurthe-et-Moselle, shortly before eleven at night on Tuesday, 20 October, as it returned from a night training flight.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.