By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Two Israel Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed after a Cobra combat helicopter crashed Wednesday evening near the kibbutz of Ginegar in northern Israel, a spokeswoman of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed to Xinhua Thursday.
The crashed helicopter was on a training flight, said the spokeswoman, adding that during the training session, the helicopter took part in a flight formation.
About 10 minutes after taking off from the “Ramat David” IAF base, the formation leader noticed that the second helicopter crashed to the ground.
After the crash, Major General Ido Nechushtan, Commander of IAF, has decided to ground the Cobra helicopters of IAF until further notice, and has appointed an official commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.
The families of the two pilots have been notified of the incident, she added.
On Wednesday, an IAF Cobra helicopter crashed at sundown. Rescue personnel were immediately summoned to the scene after the crash.
Amos Segev, commander of Jezreel emergency services, told local daily Ha’aretz that the helicopter burst into flames when it hit the ground and exploded, adding that rescue personnel have had difficulty reaching the wreckage due to the size of the fire.
The Cobra helicopter, made in the United States, has been operational since the 1970s and was used by IAF in the Second Lebanon War and also in operations in the Gaza Strip.