Israeli F-16 crew abandon jet during landing

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-1-3 9:46:16

A pilot and his navigator ejected from their F-16 fighter jet while landing at the northern Ramat David airbase on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli local media reported.

Both men escaped without injury, but were taken for a medical evaluation, an Israeli military spokesman told Xinhua.

A preliminary investigation pointed to a mechanical malfunction in the craft, not human error, he said.

Israel Air Force chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel temporarily suspended all training flights of F-16 squadrons pending the findings of a committee that has been set up to investigate the accident.

The squadrons, however, continue to maintain routine operational alert.

The F-16 Falcon, a multirole fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics, entered service in the Israeli Air Force in 1977, and has since been used in all its major operations.

In November 2010, a pilot and navigator were killed when their F-16I "Sufa" jet crashed into the Ramon Crater in the Negev desert shortly after taking off on a training sortie.

Posted in: Mid-East

blog comments powered by Disqus