An Israel Air Force pilot and navigator made an emergency escape from their malfunctioning F-16C fighter jet when landing at the Ramat David Base, in the north.
The two were uninjured, but were taken to the hospital for tests.
The crew had discovered a problem with one of their landing gear, and abandoned the moving aircraft, which continued along the runway and overturned. The F-16C was badly damaged.
The military is investigating the cause of the accident.
IAF Chief Gen. Eliezer Shkedy ordered the immediate halt of all F-16C flights until the military figures out the cause for Tuesday’s plane malfunction. He also appointed a colonel to head up the investigation.
History of mishaps
In February 2003, an F-16 crashed during an exercise in the area of Ta’anachim, north of the West Bank city of Jenin. Immediately after bailing from the jet, the pilot was evacuated by helicopter to the Ramat David IAF Base.
Technical reasons were blamed for the crash, leading to the then-IAF chief's decision to ground all F-16s.
In December, an IAF mechanic was moderately injured when he was sucked into the air intake of an F-16. According to an investigation, he edged closer to the jet after engine ignition, in violation of military safety codes.
The hapless ground crewman was found in the belly of the jet. He was saved from more serious injury, or even death, by sharp-eyed mates, who saw what had happened and cut the jet’s engine.
