The Israeli Air Force grounded its fleet of Cobra helicopters in the wake of a crash that killed two crewmen.
Cobra helicopter crashed 10 minutes after takeoff Wednesday evening for a routine training flight in northern Israel. The Cobras have been grounded pending an investigation into the crash.
Witnesses told Ynet that a propeller appeared to have detached from the helicopter, causing it to crash to the ground near Kibbutz Ginegar in the Jezreel Valley and burst into a ball of flames, igniting the ammunition it was carrying.
Rescue teams were unable to approach the crash site for a long period of time. Both crewmen died, including a 35-year-old reservist with five children.
The U.S.-made helicopter and another were flying in formation before the crash. It is unknown if the two aircraft touched.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
