A special committee of aeronautical experts and flight engineers opened an inquiry today into the crash of a new Israeli turbo-prop transport on a training flight last Thursday. The crash took the lives of three men, including Israel’s chief test pilot, Avraham Hacohen. A fourth crew-member parachuted safely. The plane, a twin-engined “Arava” designed and built by Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., was the prototype of Israel’s first commercial transport that was due to enter commercial service next April. It crashed in the hills near Tulkarem on the West Bank. The sole survivor, David Levin, is an American employed by Israel Aircraft Industries as a test pilot. Last night he reported on the fatal flight to Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. He was accompanied by Al Schwimmer, another American expatriate, who is director general of Aircraft Industries. The investigating committee is trying to piece together the circumstances that led to the crash. Experts are combing the crash area to find pieces of the plane spread over a radius of more than two miles. According to eye-witnesses, the plane crashed after an explosion sheered off one wing.
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