תיעוד: מסוק היסעור עולה באשדוברות המשטרה

IAF commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin has appointed an expert team headed by a colonel to investigate the incident in which a fire broke out in the engines of one the helicopters, forcing it to make an emergency landing near the Beit Kama junction.

The team began the debriefing work and in addition the black box of the agitation was found yesterday and it will be sent for review.

Norkin decided on Tuesday evening to ground the entire fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters (known as the “Yas’ur” in Hebrew) following the fire.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the craft was part of a formation of three helicopters flying together, probably back to base. The pilot in the third helicopter noticed a fire that broke out in the second helicopter and informed his pilots, who made an emergency landing and tried to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers. The helicopter had four air crew and 11 fighters.

Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin said, "The helicopter crew worked well and the quick and correct decisions the pilots made with the fire detection in the missile engine saved their lives and fighter lives."