The mid-air collision of two Patrouille de France Alpha Jet aircraft in Saint-Dizier

The Patrouille de France, the French Air Force's aerobatic team, suffered a serious accident during training today.

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The accident occurred following a mid-air collision between two Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet training aircraft used by the aerobatic team. The accident occurred near the French Air Force's 113 Base in Saint-Dizier, in the Haute-Marne department in northeastern France. At 5:45 p.m. CET, Agence France-Presse released this video of the accident:

Deux Alpha Jet de la Patrouille de France sont "entrés a priori en collision" près de la base aérienne 113 de Saint-Dizier, a déclaré l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace à l'AFP, précisant que trois personnes ont été "retrouvées conscientes" #AFPVertical⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FdkbzdX5re

— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) March 25, 2025

Here's another video of the accident published by Brut America, showing the collision of the two planes (thanks to Hrodberht for adding it in the comments):

As seen in the videos, the two planes crashed near the Shell gas station north of Saint-Dizier Air Base. The video shows the crew members parachuting out of the planes just before they hit the ground.

This afternoon, the French Ministry of Defense issued the following statement on this incident:

Collision of two Patrouille de France planes

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at around 3:35 p.m., two Patrouille de France Alphajets collided while training near Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne). The two pilots and a third pilot in the rear seat ejected.

The three people were found and are unharmed. They received medical treatment.

The area around the accident is being secured, and there are no casualties so far.

Investigations are underway to clarify the causes of this accident.

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu has clarified this information in a message published at 6:23 p.m., indicating that the three crew members were "slightly injured". From here I wish them a speedy recovery.

Founded in 1931, the Patrouille de France is the oldest aerobatic team in the world and also one of the most prestigious. It is based at Air Base 701 in Salon-de-Provence, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southeastern France.

Since 1981, this aerobatic team has been flying the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet, a training aircraft developed jointly by Germany and France in the 1970s. The team flies eight aircraft in its demonstrations, with another four in reserve.

In its 94-year history, the Patrouille de France has suffered 18 accidents, 13 of which were fatal. The team's first accident occurred on May 20, 1935, with an in-flight collision at Orly, killing one pilot. The patrol is scheduled to continue flying its Alpha Jets until 2035.

Currently, the French Air Force is replacing these aircraft in its advanced training flights with Pilatus PC-21 turboprops, the same model chosen by the Spanish Air Force to replace its C-101 Aviojet.

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Photos: Patrouille de France. Archive images.