After retrieving the remains of the six IAF crew members killed in a helicopter crash on Monday in Romania, the IDF Rabbinate and forensic and medical teams began the process of identification. Other units began collecting the wreckage of the helicopter which was reportedly scattered over a wide area in difficult terrain. The IDF mission is due to complete its operation in Romania and return with the coffins of the six crew members on Thursday.
The identification of the six IAF crew killed in a helicopter crash in Romania began Wednesday after the remains were retrieved from the site of the crash.
The remains were transported to a local hospital where members of the IDF Rabbinate and forensic units will begin the complex process of identification.
Channel One said Wednesday night the IDF mission is due to complete its operation in Rumania by Thursday and will return to Israel with the coffins of the six IAF crew after participating in a ceremony at a military base in Romania in honor of the six Israelis and one Romanian pilot who were killed in the crash
Forensic experts and members of the Rabbinical Corps are equipped with files on all of the fallen servicemen, which include fingerprints, dental records and other identifying markings that can be used in confirming the identities of the bodies.
Three IAF choppers carrying a team of approximately 80 IDF personnel including IAF members of the elite search-and-rescue unit 669, the elite K9 unit Oketz, Rabbinical Corps, Medical Corps and Spokesperson's Unit arrived at a Romanian air force base Wednesday morning, the IDF Spokesperson reported.
The rescue teams then headed to the site of the crash and met up with their Romanian counterparts in the course of the day, and went about recovering the remains of the dead crew members, and the scattered parts of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter that crashed on Monday during a military exercise.
The teams landed on a mountain several kilometers from the scene of the crash and continued on foot. Members of the elite IAF 669 unit rappelled down the mountain to the wreckage scattered in a steep ravine.
IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan told reporters Wednesday he was receiving constant updates on the situation. Nehushtan said that while the black box has not yet been found, investigators should be able to conclude the cause of the crash after they examine all the wreckage.
He also said that the Air Force is one of the top forces in the world regarding flight safety.
Current IAF statistics show that 1.5 accidents occur for every 100,000 hours of flight, he said.
In recent years the IAF has significantly expanded the scope of joint exercises with the air forces of its NATO allies. The drills allow Israel's air crews to practice longer-range missions than those allowed by the country's small airspace, and to practice navigating unfamiliar, mountainous terrain.
"This in no way comes at the expense of flight safety," said Nehushtan. "This is always on the table for the air force commander. I send helicopters to rescue Ukranian sailors from a sinking ship in the middle of a stormy winter night because I know they are trained for difficult missions."
The force's helicopters participate "in faraway places and at night and in places where you don't know what weather conditions you will encounter. The only thing the pilots have is confidence in their performance, based on experience and skill, which they must maintain constantly. A pilot is like a surgeon – if he hasn't trained in two years, his past experience is irrelevant," he told reporters.
The air force commanders said officials will know Wednesday night how long rescue crews will stay in the area.
During the day, he held a video conference call with members of the Israeli delegation at the Romanian air force base in Boboc.
The IAF dead were identified as Lt.-Col (res.) Avner Goldman, 48, from Modi’in; Lt.-Col. Daniel Shipenbauer, 43, from Moshav Kidron; Maj. Yahel Keshet, 33, from Hatzerim; Maj. Lior Shai, 28, from Tel Nof; Lt. Nir Lakrif, 25, from Tel Nof; and St.-Sgt. Oren Cohen, 24, from Rehovot.
The Romanian victim was named as Capt. Stefan Claudius Dragnea.
Romanian Defense Minister Gabriel Oprea sent condolences to families of those that died and Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed his “deep regret,” according to a ministry statement.
The crash occurred during a military exercise in which crews are trained to fly at low altitudes. The joint exercises with Romania, which were due to end on Thursday, were suspended after the accident.
The IAF committee of inquiry into the crash will also visit the scene and will begin collecting evidence.
The main directions of the inquiry are either a mechanical malfunction in the aircraft or human error, possibly caused by the thick fog during Monday’s flight.
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