Man killed in civilian helicopter crash near Netanya
Omer Lerer, 64, an experienced pilot who flew for El Al, dies when aircraft comes down in field; investigators probing whether he hit power cable
A 64-year-old man was killed Tuesday morning in a helicopter crash near the coastal city of Netanya.
He was later named as Omer Lerer, a father of four from the northern moshav Beit Hanania.
Lerer was an experienced pilot and had flown the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for El Al.
One of his children is on a pilot’s course in the air force, while the youngest is still in high school.
It was unclear what had caused the aircraft to come down in a field near Kfar Netter.
According to the Ynet news site, investigators were examining whether the aircraft had hit a power cable.
The report said the helicopter was a civilian aircraft operated by the Chim-Nir Aviation company out of Herzliya Airport.
Paramedics arrived on the scene and declared the man’s death.
There were no injuries on the ground and there were no reported passengers.