Two Elixir Aircraft pilots killed in crash at Rochefort air base

Two pilots employed by Elixir Aircraft were killed on October 1, 2026, when one of the French manufacturer’s Elixir light aircraft crashed near Rochefort-Saint-Agnant Airport (RCO) in western France.

In a statement issued to AeroTime, the La Rochelle-based company confirmed the accident and the deaths of both pilots on board, whom it described as colleagues. 

Elixir Aircraft said investigations had been opened and that its president had traveled to the site to coordinate with the authorities.

Aircraft crashed inside Rochefort military base

The aircraft came down at around 11:00 local time within the perimeter of the military base adjoining the airfield, La Rochelle public prosecutor Arnaud Laraize told regional broadcaster ICI.

The airfield shares its site with French Air and Space Force Air Base 721. Investigators from the Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens (GTA), the French gendarmerie unit responsible for air transport, were dispatched to the scene.

Elixir used as a training aircraft

The Elixir is a two-seat, single-engine piston trainer built around a one-piece carbon composite structure that the company calls Carbon OneShot. It received CS-23 certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020 and Part 23 certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in July 2025.

The type is mainly operated by flight schools. Elixir said in July 2026 that 63 of its aircraft were operating in Europe. Its customers include the École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC), France’s national civil aviation university, which ordered 30 aircraft in June 2025 for delivery between 2026 and 2027.

On July 2, 2026, Elixir Aircraft announced it had closed a €45 million funding round to consolidate production at a single site near La Rochelle and raise output to five aircraft per month.The post Two Elixir Aircraft pilots killed in crash at Rochefort air base appeared first on AeroTime.

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