Israeli CH-53 Yasur crash in Romania today

[maurits]

from the bbc website:

26 July 2010 Last updated at 17:12 GMT
Israeli military helicopter crashes in Romania

An Israeli military helicopter with six Israeli soldiers and one Romanian on board has crashed in central Romania, the country's defence ministry says.

Spokesman Constantin Spanu said the CH-53 transport helicopter had come down near the town of Zarnesti, about 120km (75 miles) north-west of Bucharest.

Local media say there have been fatalities, but this was not confirmed.

Initial reports had said US military personnel were on board the aircraft, which was taking part in an exercise.

Romanian and Israeli troops are participating in Blue Sky 2010, an 11-day exercise during which they are practising flying at low altitude for search and rescue missions.

Mr Spanu said the CH-53 had lost radio contact in the middle of the afternoon, and that rescue crews were on their way to the crash site.

Witnesses in the city of Brasov told the Antena 3 television station that they had seen three helicopters flying towards the Leaota and Bucegi mountains when smoke suddenly started coming out of one of them.

The Israeli military old the Associated Press only that it was looking into the reports of the crash.

On 18 July, Romania's defence ministry said an Israeli CH-53 participating in Blue Sky 2010 had crash landed after "sensing a failure aboard".

[Rockville]

Are they training in Romania as result of the fact that training in Turkey has been denied, folllowing the boat-incident?

[maurits]

Hi,

No, the Israelis already participate in combined Romanian-Israeli (helo)exercises for at least 5 years. I suggest that more Israeli helo's were participating. In the past AH-64A Pethens took also part.

Another report says 7 were killed, 6 Israeli and one Romanian soldier. The CH-53 crashed in the mountains at high altitude-around 2.246m.
No further details known yet...

regards,

Maurits

[zapacitu]

The CH-53 hit a stone cliff while flying in fog at 15:20 local hour, in formation with another CH-53. Don't the Yasurs have ground mapping radar or something?
The Romanian was an Air Force Captain, not a soldier.
The crash site is more precisely S-E of the village Fundata, in Bucegi Mountains.
At least three CH-53 participated in the exercise "Blue Sky 2010", scheduled between 18 and 29 July.
On 18 July one of the Yassurs had a technical problem and performed an emergency landing.
....
Accordint to my knowledge, this is the 7th joint Ro-Israeli exercise, and they didn't come just with choppers, in 2004 C-130s participated, see photo below.

[maurits]

Hi,

More info via jerusalem post website, teams of forensic experts/IAF investigators depart from Tel Nof? today to Romania.
At least 2 diffferent C-130s were involved (318 and 208)
http://www.jpost.com/International/Arti ... ?id=182807" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More info on:
http://ht.ly/2gOWO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On of particip. CH-53 2000s has identified as 062.

Maurits

[Starman]

fresh.co.il are calling the lost a/c 046, one of the first 'yassur 2025" conversions.