Perilous Times
7 crew reported dead in Israeli chopper crash
By ALISON MUTLER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 27, 2010; 7:02 AM
BUCHAREST, Romania -- The wreckage of an Israeli military helicopter
that slammed into a mountain in central Romania has been found and none
of the seven soldiers aboard - one Romanian and six Israelis - appear
to have survived, officials said Tuesday.
The helicopter, a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, crashed Monday during a
military aviation exercise in which crews are trained to fly at low
altitudes. The joint exercises which were due to end on July 29 were
suspended after the crash.
Romanian search teams and Israeli representatives arrived at the crash
site in a remote, mountainous area on Tuesday morning. An Israeli
military statement said that no survivors were found and that the
search was ongoing.
Earlier, an Israeli military official in Jerusalem said all on board
were believed to be dead.
"We have reason to believe that all seven crew are dead," said Brig.
Gen. Relik Shafir, a reserve officer with the Israeli air force. "It's
been a black day for all of us."
Mircea Opris, Romania's chief mountain rescue official, said the
chopper had burst into flames after it hit a mountain in a remote area.
Ciprian Aldea, a spokesman for the local police, said human remains and
helicopter parts were scattered across the area.
"Corpses, as such, have not been found. It is a very difficult area,
very rocky," he said. "You can't reach the area without the appropriate
search equipment."
Shafir, the Israeli officer, said two experienced Israeli three-man
flight crews and one Romanian liaison officer had been on board the
chopper.
He said two Israeli CH-53 helicopters had been training in a
mountainous area in heavy fog when one of the helicopters lost touch
with the other and apparently hit the mountain.
On Tuesday, the Israeli air force sent an Israeli C-130 Hercules
aircraft plane to Romania to help search for the Israeli helicopter.
Israel's military has been training with the Romanians since 2004. The
Israelis also train with other European militaries and with the U.S. to
give their crews experience in unfamiliar terrain.
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Associated Press writer Matti Friedman in Jerusalem and Alina Wolfe
Murray in Bucharest contributed to this report.