An accident between two Rafale military aircraft occurred this Wednesday in Meurthe-et-Moselle. While the pilot of the first aircraft was found safe and sound, two other people on board the second aircraft are still missing. This Wednesday, August 14, around 12:30 p.m., an air accident involving two Rafale aircraft occurred in the morning. L'Est républicain revealed that two Air Force planes collided in mid-air and crashed near the town of Colombey-les-Belles (Meurthe-et-Moselle), 40 minutes southwest of Nancy. These are two Rafales from the 3/4 Aquitaine transformation squadron, from the Saint-Dizier air base in Haute-Marne, a two-seater and a single-seater. According to the Air and Space Force on X, these planes were returning from a refueling mission in Germany. A total of three people were reportedly on board. Search operations were hired to find them. One of the pilots was spotted after he managed to eject from the aircraft before impact. Although he was injured, he remained conscious. Information that has been confirmed by the Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu on X. 
Un accident de deux Rafales de l’Escadron de Transformation Rafale 3/4 « Aquitaine » a eu lieu en Meurthe et Moselle.
Un des pilotes a été retrouvé, il est sain et sauf. Les recherches sont toujours en cours. Merci à nos forces armées ainsi qu’aux gendarmes mobilisés dans les…
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) August 14, 2024
According to AFP, an instructor and a student pilot were on the second plane and are still missing. The pilots are all said to be French nationals. The squadron transformation Rafale's main mission is to train pilots for the French armed forces.
For the moment, the causes of the accident have not been communicated. “Safety and judicial investigations are being opened to shed light on the reasons for the accident", simply revealed the Air Force on X. On site, a security perimeter was é drawing as reported the prefecture. 33 firefighters were also involved. mobilized.