The pilot of the Israeli Arava plane which was forced down last Wednesday by the French air force after flying over a “top security zone” said here that he did not know at the time that flying restrictions were imposed in the area. The pilot, Capt, Nachum Yaalom, 39, arrived Thursday in Hanover to participate at the international air show. The pilot had been interrogated by French security and the plane searched after French air authorities claimed that it had overflown at a 100-feet altitude the nuclear site of Albion near Lyons.
Yaalom told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that as far as he knew his route was “a normal international air lane.” He added “as far as I am concerned, I intend to take the same route on my return.”
According to the Israeli pilot and his four-man crew, the incident was due “to a misunderstanding.” The Israelis had no complaints about the way French security had handled the incident. “Our investigation lasted only 30 minutes and everybody was very pleasant and courteous, he said.
BEN NATAN BLAMES ISRAELI PILOT
(In Tel Aviv, Israel’s Ambassador to France blamed the pilot of the Arava transport for last week’s incident. Asher Ben Natan, who arrived here Friday to participate in the French Week events, said it was almost certain that the Arava was flying too low and on a wrong course which took it over the proscribed zone. Ben Natan said he was glad that French Week would be observed this week as scheduled. As to Franco-Israeli relations generally, the envoy said “I cannot say there is an improvement but I can express hope that an improvement will take place.” He said Israeli impatience with the French attitude was justified.)
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