Black box recovered from F-16 crash
Investigation continues into cause of engine malfunction two weeks ago; box sent to US
Two weeks after an F-16I nosedived into the ocean off Gaza’s coast, Israeli forces recovered the black box and other wreckage from the jet on Sunday.
A previous attempt on Saturday to extract pieces of the plane, which lies at a depth of 300 meters (1,000 feet), was unsuccessful.
“The air force will continue its efforts to collect more parts from the plane, to help understand the circumstances of the accident,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
The black box, recovered with the help of a US vessel, is to be transferred to the American manufacturer of the aircraft, Lockheed Martin, for investigation.
The air force jet crashed into the sea off the Gaza coast on July 7 during an afternoon training mission. The pilot and navigator succeeded in safely ejecting from the aircraft before it hit the water.
They were later rescued by the Air Force’s 669 search and rescue unit and were airlifted to Tel Hashomer Hospital outside Tel Aviv where they underwent medical inspections. The crew was released the same day.
Air force officials are looking into the cause of the crash, which occurred approximately 50 kilometers west of the Gaza Strip.
The aircraft was reportedly from the 107th Squadron and, after its engine malfunctioned at a high altitude, the crew were able to dispatch a Mayday distress call back to base before ditching their plane.
The IAF grounded its Israeli-modified F-16I and F-15I fleet as a result of the crash, pending the completion of an investigation. Both jet fighters use the same type of engine that malfunctioned.
In October 2012, the IAF grounded its entire fleet of aircraft for a day following a number of near-miss incidents during training flights.
An Israeli F-16I crashed in 2010, killing the two pilots.
Israel purchased 50 F-16Is from the US in 2000 in a $2.5-billion deal, and the Lockheed Martin planes entered service in the IAF nine years ago. The aircraft is able to carry air-to-air heat-seeking missiles manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. as well as US-made radar-guided missiles.