Israel Matzav

Monday, May 28, 2012

Photo of the day: IAF jets flying past Ramon crater

More details on the photo here.

Labels: IAF, Ramon Crater

Friday, November 12, 2010

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.

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.

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.

Labels: F-16-I, Ramon Crater, training exercise

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Breaking: F-16-I crashes, crew missing?

An Israeli F-16-I crashed in the Ramon Crater in southern Israel on Wednesday night on a routine training mission and the two-man crew is missing.

An Israeli air force F-16 crashed in the deserts of southern Israel while on a routine training flight, the military said Thursday, adding that its two-man crew were missing.

Large forces were carrying out search and rescue in the area of the Ramon Crater looking for the pilot and navigator, an army spokeswoman said.

The fighter was a US-made F-16I, custom designed for the Israeli air force and believed capable of reaching arch-foe Iran. This was the first crash of the model.

Air force commander Ido Nehushtan has ordered an investigation into the accident and has temporarily grounded the F-16I fleet, the spokeswoman said.

The accident occurred on Wednesday evening, but the military censor barred publication of the news until the families of the crew had been notified, standard practice in Israel.

More details when I have them.

UPDATE 3:02 AM

Israel Radio's 3:00 am newscast (yes, I'm working late tonight) had no more than I reported above except to say that search crews are out. I doubt those search crews can be effective in the darkness of an early night in a lunar month in the middle of a crater. I'd be shocked if they find anything before daylight - about three hours from now.

Labels: F-16-I, IAF, Ramon Crater