A tragedy struck the skies this morning as a T-260B training aircraft of the Italian Air Force plunged into wooded terrain near Sabaudia, in the Parco Nazionale del Circeo, south of Rome. The aircraft belonged to the 70° Stormo (70th Wing), based in Latina, and was reportedly on a routine training mission when it disappeared from radar.
Rescue teams discovered the wreckage ablaze between the Migliara 49 and Cerasella zones, a densely forested area close to one of the park’s entrances. The two crew members on board were found dead.
Who were the victims?
According to multiple reports, one fatality was Colonel Simone Mettini, the commanding officer of the 70° Stormo. The other was a young trainee pilot, named Lorenzo Nucheli. Their presence together suggests a training or instructional flight rather than a solo sortie.
The aircraft & mission
The crashed plane is identified as a T-260B, a two-seat trainer/light aircraft variant used by the 70° Stormo for pilot instruction. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was performing a training mission, likely over a planned route southward from the Latina base. It lost radar contact before the crash site.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Military and civil authorities are investigating possibilities such as mechanical failure, human error, or adverse weather or environmental factors.
Reaction & response
Italian defense sources confirmed the crash and noted that the aircraft was operating in a training role when it went down “for reasons not yet defined.”
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, expressed deep condolences over the deaths and extended solidarity to the families, the Air Force, and the defense community. The Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, also made a statement, invoking the sentiment that a pilot never truly dies but “flies higher.”
A formal inquiry has been launched jointly by the military and local judicial authorities, including the military prosecutor and the prosecutor of Latina, to determine accountability and establish the crash dynamics.
