Twenty-eight years have passed since the helicopter disaster, the crash of two Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion "Yasour" helicopters in northern Israel. This crash, which claimed the lives of 73 soldiers, is the deadliest air accident in Israel's history to date.
At the conclusion of the First Lebanon War, the campaign in the security zone was launched, in which many IDF outposts were placed in the northern region, with the aim of protecting the Israeli population and preventing the return of Hezbollah to the border area from 1985 to 2000. In the last years of the campaign, a danger arose from the roadside mines planted by the enemy, and so the vehicular movement of the troops was discontinued. Ground troops were transported by helicopter instead.
At about 7 p.m. on February 4, 1997, two CH-53 "Yasour" helicopters from the 118th Night Stalkers squadron took off from Ramat David Air Base for a mission to transport troops from various units to the Dallat and Beaufort outposts in the security zone. For reasons that are still being investigated, minutes after crossing the border, the rotor of one helicopter struck the belly of the other, and both crashed.
"When we flew in this manner, no one took into account the risk of formation flying, because that is the way we fly all the time," testified one pilot in an interview with the Air Force Magazine in 2021, at the time the squadron's deputy commander. "In the place where we were the most confident in ourselves, this terrible mistake occurred."
Witnesses reported a large fireball lighting up the sky, followed by flaming debris falling to the ground. The first helicopter, destined for the Beaufort outpost, crashed in a ravine between Sh'ar Yashuv and Dafna. On board were 37 soldiers, including four aircrew. The second helicopter, destined for the Dalet outpost, crashed in Sh'ar Yashuv. In the helicopter were 4 aircrew and 32 soldiers.
"I received a phone call from the deputy squadron commander, who informed me that something terrible had happened. I arrived at the squadron base and the details of the incident were still unclear, but it is obvious that what has occurred is shocking. We received various reports from northern command posts and forces began to arrive on the scene. Gradually we begin to understand the magnitude of the disaster," related a former officer in the squadron.
The rescue forces that arrived on the scene were confronted with a particularly gruesome spectacle - all the passengers had perished in the terrible disaster. The disaster claimed the lives of 73 soldiers, including the eight crew members of the helicopters: the pilots, Major Israel Hosheni, Major Ronen Halfon, Major Avishai Levi, and Major Yishai Eden; and the flight engineers, Sergeant Paul Bibas, Sergeant Tamir Glazer, Sergeant Eitan Maman, and Sergeant Tzafir Sharoni.
One of the rescuers who arrived first on the scene later took his own life after a lengthy battle with PTSD from the incident.
The disaster struck a nationwide shock. It was a traumatic event that left a deep imprint on Israeli society and the Israeli Air Force. The news of the magnitude of the tragedy spread quickly, and hundreds of families, friends, and acquaintances grappled with the unbearable news. Across the country spontaneous ceremonies were held, flags were lowered to half-mast, and a national mourning prevailed.
"There was an atmosphere of failure and it was indeed a terrible failure. The whole purpose of the SAR system and the Yas'ur squadrons in particular, is saving lives and transporting troops and equipment. In this accident a mistake was made for which we paid an unthinkable price," emphasized an officer from the squadron. On the night of the crash, an investigative committee was set up to understand what had led to the crash. "At nine o'clock the next morning, I stood before the investigative committee. It was complicated", he added.
In the opening paragraph of the recommendations section of the report was written: "It is emphasized that all members of the committee, one and all, attach supreme importance to the implementation of the recommendations for the prevention of future failures, for the improvement of the helicopter arm of the Air Force, and for the enhancement of flight safety."
Near the crash site at Sha'ar-Yashuv in the north, a monument has been erected which is visited by thousands of visitors every year, to remind the generations of the magnitude of the disaster.