2010 Israeli helicopter disaster in Romania
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Israeli helicopter disaster in Romania was an Aviation accident
which occurred on 26 July 2010 when an IAF
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion Yas'ur
helicopter crashed during a training flight at high altitude in the Carpathian mountains
, near the city of Brasov
in Romania. All helicopter crew perished in the crash - four Israeli pilots, two Israeli mechanics and one Romanian officer.
. The fog
which prevailed at the flight altitude made it difficult to navigate the helicopter.
At around 15:20 the two helicopters went to an altitude of 6200 feet towards a mountain which was in front of them with the aim of passing it, entering heavy fog. Due to the heavy fog, one of the helicopters did not see the edge of the mountain which was to his left, and when he turned left he directly crashed into the mountain and caught on fire.
Aviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
which occurred on 26 July 2010 when an IAF
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion Yas'ur
CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion is the most common name for the Sikorsky S-65 family of heavy-lift transport helicopters. Originally developed for use by the United States Marine Corps, it is also in service with Germany, Iran, Israel, and Mexico...
helicopter crashed during a training flight at high altitude in the Carpathian mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, near the city of Brasov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
in Romania. All helicopter crew perished in the crash - four Israeli pilots, two Israeli mechanics and one Romanian officer.
The accident
On 26 July 2010 at 13:15 two Yasur helicopters took off from the Romanian Air Force Base in Boboc and headed north toward the Carpathian mountainsCarpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
. The fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
which prevailed at the flight altitude made it difficult to navigate the helicopter.
At around 15:20 the two helicopters went to an altitude of 6200 feet towards a mountain which was in front of them with the aim of passing it, entering heavy fog. Due to the heavy fog, one of the helicopters did not see the edge of the mountain which was to his left, and when he turned left he directly crashed into the mountain and caught on fire.
Crew
:-
- ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Daniel Shipenbauer (age 43) - Lieutenant ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Avner Goldman (age 48) - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Yahel Keshet (age 33) - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Lior Shai (age 28) - LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Nir Lakrif (age 25) - Staff SergeantStaff SergeantStaff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
Oren Cohen (age 24): - Captain Ștefan-Claudiu Dragnea (age 31)
- Colonel