IAF renews F16I training after grounded due to crash

Fighter jets hit the skies again after brief halt in activity following tragic incident that killed two IAF servicemen at Ramon Crater.

By JPOST EDITORIAL
Updated: MARCH 28, 2018 10:48
f16 (photo credit: Tsahal)
f16
(photo credit: Tsahal)
The IAF on Sunday renewed training for F16I jets after they were grounded due a crash at the Ramon Crater on Thursday that killed two IAF servicemen.
IAF pilot Maj. Amihai Itkis, 28, and navigator Maj. Emmanuel Levi, 30 both died after their F16I jet crash in an incident that 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.