Attack helicopter crashes in Upper Galilee, two pilots hurt

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

Two pilots were wounded when an Israel Air Force Apache helicopter crashed Monday afternoon in the Upper Galilee. It was the second accident involving the Apache helicopters in one week.

The Apache Longbow, an advanced model of the attack helicopter, was at a high altitude when it crashed and the circumstances of the incident are still not entirely clear.

Though the crash was initially thought to have been caused when the helicopter hit power lines, a preliminary investigation revealed this was likely not the cause.


Airmen in the Apache flying adjacent to the crashed aircraft did not notice anything unusual prior to the crash.

The IDF is not eliminating the possibility that the helicopter, on its way to support ground force fighting in Bint Jbail, was brought down by Hezbollah gunfire.

A panel appointed by Israel Air Force chief Eliezer Shkedi is already investigating the earlier collision of two Apache gunships shortly before midnight Thursday near Kiryat Shmona.

The ensuing crash killed Major Ran Yehoshua Kochba, 37, of Beit Hanania, and badly injured three other airmen. The air force is looking into whether human error or a technical malfunction was responsible for the accident.

The two helicopters were on operational duty, assisting troops fighting in the north. At the time of the accident, they were flying in formation at a relatively high altitude, with their lights off and little distance between them.

A preliminary inquiry found that the collision may have occured after the rotor of one helicopter hit the tail of the other helicopter.

Both pilots immediately tried to perform an emergency landing, but the crash was unavoidable. The helicopters crashed several hundreds meters from each other, on a mountainside. One helicopter crashed a few meters from the road connecting the Koach Yesha intersections.

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742148.html



Hezbollah war causes more "accidents"

Flying over Hezbollah territory causes Israeli pilots to hit cables and crash against each other, mystery unsolved :)



Israeli copter crashes near Lebanon border
7/24/2006, 7:08 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

REHANIYA, Israel (AP) — An Israeli Apache helicopter crashed Monday near the Lebanese border while attempting an emergency landing, and there were two casualties, the army said.


The army said the gunship crashed when it apparently hit an electric wire. The military said earlier that six people were wounded in the crash. It did not provide any further details about the two casualties.

Israeli troops have been battling Hezbollah guerrillas on the other side of the border, but it was not immediately clear if the helicopter had been part of the fighting there.

The crash sparked a huge blaze the engulfed a hilltop orchard overlooking the town of Rehaniya, about 2 1/2 miles south of the Lebanese border. Firefighters were struggling to contain the flames to allow rescue workers to reach the burning helicopter.

Last week, two Apache attack helicopters collided in northern Israel near the Lebanon border, killing one air force officer and injuring three others.


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Two pilots were wounded when an Israel Air Force Apache helicopter crashed Monday afternoon in the Upper Galilee. It was the second accident involving the Apache helicopters in one week.

The Apache Longbow, an advanced model of the attack helicopter, was at a high altitude when it crashed and the circumstances of the incident are still not entirely clear.

Though the crash was initially thought to have been caused when the helicopter hit power lines, a preliminary investigation revealed this was likely not the cause.

Airmen in the Apache flying adjacent to the crashed aircraft did not notice anything unusual prior to the crash.

The IDF is not eliminating the possibility that the helicopter, on its way to support ground force fighting in Bint Jbail, was brought down by Hezbollah gunfire.

A panel appointed by Israel Air Force chief Eliezer Shkedi is already investigating the earlier collision of two Apache gunships shortly before midnight Thursday near Kiryat Shmona.

The ensuing crash killed Major Ran Yehoshua Kochba, 37, of Beit Hanania, and badly injured three other airmen. The air force is looking into whether human error or a technical malfunction was responsible for the accident.

The two helicopters were on operational duty, assisting troops fighting in the north. At the time of the accident, they were flying in formation at a relatively high altitude, with their lights off and little distance between them.

A preliminary inquiry found that the collision may have occured after the rotor of one helicopter hit the tail of the other helicopter.

Both pilots immediately tried to perform an emergency landing, but the crash was unavoidable. The helicopters crashed several hundreds meters from each other, on a mountainside. One helicopter crashed a few meters from the road connecting the Koach Yesha intersections.

Link:http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742148.html