1997 Israeli helicopter disaster

1997 Israeli helicopter disaster

300px An IDF/AF CH-53 Yasur 2000 similar to the aircraft that collided
Accident summary
Date	February 4, 1997 (1997-02-04)
Summary	Mid-air collision
Site	She'ar Yashuv in northern Israel
Total fatalities	73
Total survivors	0
First aircraft
Type	Sikorsky S-65C-3 Yas'ur 2000
Operator	Israeli Air Force
Registration	357
Fatalities	37
Survivors	0
Second aircraft
Type	Sikorsky S-65C-3 Yas'ur 2000
Operator	Israeli Air Force
Registration	903
Fatalities	36
Survivors	0

File:PikiWiki Israel 1228 Events in Israel אתר הנצחה לזכר אסון המסוקים.jpg

The official memorial with the names of the 73 fallen soldiers visible inside the pool.

File:Ason Hameso.jpg

Monument at the crash site in She'ar Yashuv (not the main memorial).

The 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster occurred on 4 February 1997. 73 Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed when two Sikorsky S-65C-3 Yas'ur 2000 helicopters, 357 and 903, collided over She'ar Yashuv in northern Israel. The helicopters were supposed to cross the border into Israel's "security zone" in southern Lebanon, but were hovering while waiting for official clearance to go. Previously Israel had moved troops by ground, but this policy was changed as the threat of roadside bombs from Hezbollah increased.

Bodies were brought to the Reading Funeral Home in North Tel Aviv, where identifications were made.

The crash brought about widespread national grieving. 6 February was declared an official day of mourning, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Ezer Weizman attended funerals and visited the grieving families. In addition, thousands of Israelis went to pray at the Western Wall and assemblies were held at schools nationwide.

A commission headed by David Ivry was set up to investigate the cause of the collision, the deadliest air disaster in Israeli history. The committee finished its investigation in mid-April of the same year. It had been unable to find the definite cause of the mid-air collision, noting that the pilots appeared in good health and that no external causes could be found.

Memorial

A memorial to the 73 dead IDF soldiers was created near the crash site next to the cemetery of Kibbutz Dafna. It was inaugurated in 2008. The memorial consists of a number of elements, the most visible being 73 stones erected around a round pool to which water is directed through a channel. The 73 names are written on black blocks placed under the water of the pool. The monument was designed by architect Shlomit Shlomo, landscape architects Haim Cohen and Gilad Sharon, sculptor Rami Feldstein; sculptor Dani Caravan acted as an adviser for the project.

See also

• 1977 Israeli CH-53 crash

References

• Segal, Naomi. "Pilot error may be cause of horrific helicopter crash", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 14 February 1997. Accessed 11 June 2006.
• Segal, Naomi. "Discipline recommended in copter crash that killed 73", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 25 April 1997. Accessed 11 June 2006.

External links

• "Military helicopters collide in Israel, killing scores", CNN, 4 February 1997. Accessed 11 June 2006.
• " The Israeli Helicopter Crash- Reactions in Lebanon", News at Lebanon, 5 February 1997. Accessed 11 June 2006.