A BRITISH pilot killed after a military jet crashed during a test flight has been named.
Experienced David Ashley, 49, was in the Leonardo jet when it went down in the snowy mountains north of Lake Como, Italy.
The M-346 trainer plane is believed to have crashed on Wednesday at around 12:00pm.
The dad-of-two, of Dorset, was flying with Italian pilot Giampaolo Goattin who managed to survive and escape serious injury.
It is thought the two pilots ejected the plane, before it crashed while “conducting tests for the Italian Armed forces”, reports MailOnline.
It’s not clear if David or Giampaolo were at the controls of the aircraft at the time of ejection.
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The jet crashed at an altitude of about 8,200 feet before catching fire and went down near the town of Colico.
Huge plumes of black smoke were seen near the top of the mountains, with witnesses saying the “fireball” made a “terrifying huge roar”.
It’s thought the jet had been “flying for about twenty hours” and was returning to base when it crashed.
Emergency services recovered David’s body yesterday before his identity was announced today.
An FCDO spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”
It is not the first crash David had been had though, having previously survived ejecting from a crash in Qatar in July 2019.
The former RAF Harrier and F18 pilot sustained a broken back, hip and ankle and fractured eye socket after ejecting during air combat manoeuvres in the middle east.
Initially, it was feared he had lost his right eye after what he later described as a “particularly savage” parachute landing which shattered his eye socket while his back was already broken.
David initially joined the RAF on a scholarship as a 17-year-old and spent 18 years in the military before joining BAE Systems as a fighter pilot instructor.
But after the incident his family moved back from the middle east to Poole in Dorset to help in his rehabilitation.
David was not only an expert pilot but also owned his own property development business with his wife Heather known as Ashley Property Group.
He specialised in advising others who were keen to learn how to invest funds from all over the world into the UK market.
The makers of the aircraft, Leonardo, released a statement after the crash saying they “express their most heartfelt condolences” to the pilot who was tragically killed.
They said: “This morning, at approximately 12:00pm, an M-346 aircraft crashed in the area above Colico (Monte Legnone) near Como in Northern Italy.
“Emergency vehicles are now operating in the area and Leonardo, as per its established practice, has immediately activated an internal investigation committee.
“The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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“Unfortunately, the rescue teams arriving at the site of the accident ascertained the loss of one of the two pilots. Leonardo expresses its most heartfelt condolences.
“Leonardo reserves the right to provide further updates on the event in the next few hours.”
