Two Elixir Aircraft pilots die in crash at Rochefort airfield

Two pilots employed by Elixir Aircraft died on October 1, 2026, when one of the company's light aircraft came down near Rochefort-Saint-Agnant Airport in western France, the La Rochelle-based manufacturer said.

The company confirmed both people on board were killed and described them as colleagues. Its president travelled to the site to work with the authorities, and the company said inquiries have begun.

La Rochelle public prosecutor Arnaud Laraize told regional broadcaster ICI that the aircraft struck the ground at about 11:00 local time inside the perimeter of the military base that borders the airfield. The airfield occupies the same site as a French Air and Space Force base. Officers from the Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens, the gendarmerie unit that handles air transport matters, were sent to the location.

The Elixir is a two-seat, single-engine piston trainer. It is built around a one-piece carbon composite structure that the manufacturer markets as Carbon OneShot, and it holds CS-23 certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, granted in 2020, along with Part 23 approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration issued in July 2025.

Flight schools make up most of the type's operators. Elixir said in July 2026 that 63 of its aircraft were in service across Europe. Among its customers is the École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile, France's national civil aviation university, which placed an order for 30 aircraft in June 2025 for delivery between 2026 and 2027.

On July 2, 2026, the manufacturer announced it had completed a €45 million funding round aimed at bringing production together at one site near La Rochelle and lifting output to five aircraft a month.