Elixir grounds entire fleet after fatal crash in France

Elixir Aircraft has grounded its entire fleet following a fatal accident involving one of its light single-engined aircraft.

The French manufacturer, based in La Rochelle, issued a service bulletin covering all of its aeroplanes, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. EASA formalised that instruction in an emergency directive dated 2 October, stating it had decided to halt all flight operations of the type until more information becomes available.

The directive does not set out the circumstances of the accident. A French newspaper has reported that one of the company's aircraft crashed at Rochefort military air base on 1 October after a serious malfunction. Two people were on board the two-seat aircraft, both Elixir employees, and neither survived, according to that account.

Investigations into what caused the crash are under way.

Elixir was founded in 2015 and builds its namesake aircraft with a one-piece carbonfibre airframe, offered in several configurations. The company produced 16 aircraft in the first half of this year, and around 60 are flying in Europe. In July it announced a €45 million funding round aimed at speeding up expansion and launching a new aircraft programme. The larger model, called the Equinox, is described by the company as the next step in its product line and is to be built on the same technological foundations as the current Elixir.

EASA said further action may be needed to ensure the continued airworthiness of the type, based on the information available so far.