A British pilot died on Wednesday when a Leonardo trainer aircraft crashed into the mountains near Lake Como in northern Italy, the Italian aerospace and defence company said.
The M-346 jet, intended for military pilot training, took off near Varese at 11am local time before losing contact 35 minutes later.
The wreckage was found near the town of Colico on the lake's north-eastern side, Leonardo said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the instructor pilot, who belonged to an external company, died in the accident,” it said, offering Leonardo's “most heartfelt condolences".
A spokesman confirmed to AFP the victim was British and added that the other pilot, who survived the crash, was Italian.
“Leonardo clarifies that, taking into account the current status of the relevant investigation, any theory on the possible causes is premature,” the firm said.
“The flight plan included trials aimed at demonstrating specific capabilities which had already been tested during several flights already carried out in the past.”
The two pilots ejected before the plane crashed at an altitude of about 2,500 metres, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
The surviving pilot was taken to hospital with facial trauma, the paper said.
