Monday, June 8, 2026- A French National Gendarmerie helicopter crashed on Sunday afternoon in the Bray-Saint-Aignan area of the Loiret department in central France during an operational search mission, killing one gendarme and seriously injuring two others.
The aircraft was engaged in searching for a missing person when it went down around 16:40 local time in the dense Orléans forest.
Authorities confirmed that three gendarmes were on board; Adjudant Dorian Larigaudrie, assigned to the Châteauneuf-sur-Loire brigade, died of his injuries, while the pilot and mechanic were evacuated conscious but in critical condition to the University Hospital of Orléans.
The French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez expressed deep sorrow and extended condolences on social media, while the Loiret prefecture emphasized the ongoing judicial investigation into the cause of the crash.
Emergency teams had deployed firefighters, medical units, drones, and a SAMU helicopter to reach the crash site in difficult terrain, and a psychological support cell has been established for colleagues and families affected by the tragedy.
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