The Israel Air Force reported the loss of a two-seat F-16I aircraft on Nov. 10, Middle East Newsline reported. The Air Force said the fighter crashed in the southern Negev
desert during a training mission and that both crew members were dead.
"The error appears to have been a human rather than a technical fault,"
a military source said.
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This was believed to have marked the first loss of Israel's new F-16I
fleet. Since 2004, Israel has acquired 102 F-16Is, a variant of
the Block 50, from the United States in deals that amounted to $4.5 billion
with Lockheed Martin.
Military sources said four F-16Is were involved in a training flight
when one of the aircraft plunged from an altitude of 11,000 feet. They said
the crew, which led a deep-strike mission exercise, did not report any
problems with the aircraft.
The Air Force ordered the grounding of all F-16Is amid an investigation.
This marked the second F-16 crash in as many years for the Air Force, the
previous one being that of an F-16A.
Military sources have reported what they termed minor problems with the
F-16I. In 2009, an F-16I made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff
because of engine failure. In 2006, an F-16I crew ejected during takeoff in
what was termed a malfunction.
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