Col. Kobi Regev, a former commander of a squadron in the Air Force, was interviewed by Galei Tzahal following the crash of a helicopter.
"The [Atalef] helicopter is a very safe naval helicopter that has flown for many years so we know which components break down more easily and which less. We know that the level of reliability of the engine is high so chances of it malfunctioning are low," said Regev.
He added: "The reasons for the pilots not being able to escape should be investigated. They are very much used to such escape processes, so I assume that they did not abandon the helicopter because something prevented them from doing so or because of a medical injury."