On the morning of 16 March, Leonardo’s M-346 aircraft crashed in the area above Monte Legnone, near Lecco in Northern Italy. Unfortunately, the rescue teams arriving at the site of the accident ascertained the death of one of the two pilots.
Leonardo clarifies that taking into account the current status of the relevant investigation, any theory on the possible causes is premature. The aircraft involved in the accident was an M-346 flown by a crew of two made of a Leonardo test pilot and an outsourced instructor pilot. The aircraft took to the air from Leonardo’s Venegono Superiore site (Varese – Italy) at 11:00 AM following the technical checks prior to flight authorization, completed shortly ahead of take-off and performed in full compliance with the inspection plan authorized by the relevant aviation authorities.
The flight plan included trials aimed at demonstrating specific capabilities which had already been tested during several flights already carried out in the past.
At 11:35 AM, any contact with the aircraft was lost. The aircraft wreckage was identified nearby Colico (Monte Legnone), between Como and Lecco in Northern Italy, shortly after the accident.
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