ROME, Oct 1, 2025 — Two Italian Air Force service members were killed on Wednesday in a T-260B training aircraft crash during a routine exercise over Circeo National Park, near Sabaudia, south of Rome.
The plane belonged to the 70th Wing (70° Stormo) at Latina Air Base, which trains new pilots. The training aircraft crash occurred in a wooded area near a park entrance, where no civilians were present.
Rescue teams found the wreckage in flames and the bodies of both crew members inside. One of the dead was Colonel Simone Mettini, commander of the 70th Wing. The second was student pilot Lorenzo Nucheli.
The news was communicated to the families, to whom the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadron General Antonio Conserva, on behalf of the entire Armed Forces, extends his deepest condolences.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. Military and judicial authorities have opened investigations.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed condolences to the victims’ families, the Air Force, and the Defence Ministry. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also shared his sorrow, while President Sergio Mattarella described the incident as a “tragic accident” and sent his sympathies.
The T-260B is a variant of the SIAI-Marchetti SF.260, a single-engine aircraft used for basic training and aerobatics. The 70th Wing plays a central role in pilot instruction for the Italian Air Force.
