"The IAF is preparing for the departure of an aircraft to Romania,
carrying medical teams, a rescue party and investigative team," the military
said.
The statement said the CH-53, known by the Air Force as Yassour and
manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, contained four pilots, two mechanics and
an officer from the Romanian Air Force. They said an investigation, which
already appeared to rule out a technical mishap, would be conducted by both
Israel and Romania. In wake of the crash, the two air forces have decided to
end the exercise.
"Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan corresponded with
his Romanian counterpart, Maj. Gen. Ion-Aurel Stanciu, and has reached
agreement for a joint examination," the military said. "The Israeli team
will be headed by a brigadier general."
The Israel Air Force has been plagued by its aging CH-53 fleet, acquired
in the 1960s. In 1997, 73 soldiers were killed in a collision of two such helicopters on their way
to a mission in Lebanon.