Bodies of F-16I pilot and navigator found
The bodies of the pilot and navigator from an F-16I that was reported missing during the night on Wednesday were found on Thursday in the Ramon crater. Their plane had crashed and both were killed. The remains of IAF pilot Maj. Amihai Itkis, 28, and navigator Maj. Emmanuel Levi, 30, whose F16I jet crashed at the Ramon Crater on Wednesday night, were found on Thursday afternoon. IAF commander Major General Ido Nehushtan notified the pilot and navigator's families of their loss.May their memory be blessed. May their families be comforted among all mourners for Zion and Jerusalem and may they know of no more sorrow.
Nehushtan arrived earlier to the scene of the crash so that he could oversee the search for the missing bodies. Army rabbis also arrived to help with the searches of the two servicemen who were feared dead.
The IAF found the black box of the jet just a few hours after the discovery of the remains, IAF Brig.-Gen Nimrod Shefer said.
The Air Force expressed hope that the black box will help them understand what occurred in the final minutes before the crash.
The black box will be sent to the plane's manufacturer Lockheed-Martin in the US, where it will be examined to determine the exact cause of the crash. IAF assessments suggested that the jet crash was likely caused by human error rather than a technical fault.
The jet was the leader of four planes that was on a training exercise and sank from an altitude of 11,000 feet to a much lower altitude. IAF investigators suspect that the pilot did not realize how low he had flown because no distress call was received.
The IAF launched extensive searches near the crash site in hope of finding survivors but several hours after the crash it appeared that the pilot and navigator did not succeed in ejecting from the plane.
Nehushtan was expected to order the establishment of an expert panel to investigate the crash.
Labels: F-16-I, Ramon Crater, training exercise
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:20 AM
1 Comments:
Carl, sad news.
They're going have to investigate when they weren't able to bail out in time.
Its a small comfort to the families their loved ones died in Israel's defense. All that can be done is to make sure its not repeated in the future.
Zichrona L'Livracho - may the memories of Amihai Itkis and Emmanuel Levi be for a blessing.
Post a Comment
<< Home