A British pilot has died after the military jet he was testing crashed near Lake Como in northern Italy on Wednesday.
The M-346 jet trainer aircraft, manufactured by the multinational aerospace company Leonardo, headquartered in Rome, was undergoing a test flight when it crashed into Monte Legnone in the Lombardy region just before midday.
Both pilots managed to eject before the crash, according to reports, but only one survived. Instructor pilot Dave Ashley, 49, and a British national, was found dead. His Italian co-pilot, 53-year-old Giampaulo Goattin, was rescued from the mountain face and taken to hospital.
Initial reports suggested Mr Goattin had suffered serious injuries, but it was later confirmed he was receiving medical care for non-life threatening facial trauma.
The jet crashed on the north face of the mountain, at a height of around 2,600 metres, resulting in a loud bang which local residents later said they heard.
It had taken off from a military base at Venegono at 11am but contact with the pilots was lost just 35 minutes later, before the first reports of a crash emerged at around midday.
Both the Italian authorities and Leonardo itself are investigating the incident, with the aerospace, defence and security firm said to be conducting an internal probe to ascertain how the crash could have been caused.
In a statement released shortly after the crash, it added: “Leonardo expresses its most heartfelt condolences ... [and] reserves the right to provide further updates on the event in the next few hours.”
The plane being flown was in post-production testing stage, Defense News reported, and had been due for delivery to an “overseas customer”.
Meanwhile, Leonardo said the tests the pilots were carrying out – “aimed at demonstrating specific capabilities” – had already been trialled during several flights in the past.
Mr Ashley previously survived a similar situation, when he was forced to eject from a jet in Qatar, in the Middle East, in 2019. He reportedly broke his back, ankle, hip and was in danger of losing an eye, but made a full recovery.
In a follow-up statement, released later on Wednesday, Leonardo said “any theory on the possible causes” of the crash remained “premature”.
It went on: “Leonardo’s top management express their most heartfelt condolences for the loss of the pilot.
“His name was Dave Ashley, a married 49-year-old father of two. Deepest sympathies are with his family.”
