More than two months after two Israeli pilots were killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Haifa, the Israel Defense Forces says its grounded fleet of AS565 Panther helicopters is resuming training flights.
The IDF says the move comes following recommendations from a team of experts who are probing the crash.
The AS565 Panther helicopter, known by the IAF as the “Atalef,” or bat, is a 25-year-old aircraft primarily used for missions at sea.
It will resume operational use in a “gradual and safe manner,” the IDF says.
Lt. Col. Erez Sachyani and Maj. Chen Fogel were killed when a broken blade within the left motor sparked a fire and led to the aircraft striking the water forcefully on January 3 this year, according to the probe.
A third officer on board, Cpt. Ron Birman, managed to jump out and was rescued with relatively minor injuries.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
