A Eurofighter Typhoon fighter belonging to the Italian Air Force crashed in Sicily. The body of the pilot was recovered.
After conducting a training mission with another Typhoon, the aircraft was returning to its base at the joint-use airport of Trapani-Birgi (TPS), where the 37th Wing (37 Stormo) is housed.
For an unknown reason, the fighter crashed during the approach phase, 8 miles (12 kilometers) southeast of the base. An AgustaWestland HH139 search and rescue helicopter scrambled from Trapani to locate the crash area.
The wreckage was found in a field. The lifeless body of the pilot was recovered at the crash site. No other injuries or damage were reported.
“The news was communicated to the parents of the young officer, to whom the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Squad Luca Goretti, on behalf of the entire Armed Forces, expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences,” the Italian Air Force said in a statement.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the backbone of the Aeronautica Militare (the Italian Air Force) fighter fleet, with an inventory of 92 aircraft in 2022.