Scene of the crash
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov
IAF rules Zukit crash accidental
Air Force inquest into October 2008 crash of Fouga Magister which claimed the lives of flight instructor, cadet, rules crash result of human error
An Air Force inquest into the fatal training accident which claimed the lives of a flight instructor and his trainee cadet off the Tzeelim Air Base last October was concluded the result of human error, Ynet learned Thursday.
Captain Matan Assa and IAF cadet Carmi Ilan were killed when their double-engine Fouga CM.170 Magister – known in the IDF as a 'Zukit' – crashed some 30 minutes after takeoff.
The Zukit, which is based on the French Magister, has been used by the IAF since the 1980s. It can reach 425 mph and weighs between 2.5-3 tons. It does not have an ejection seat.
The inquest derived that there was no mechanical failures or abnormal weather conditions, nor were any of the training protocols breached during the flight.
IAF Chief Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan ordered the inquest immediately after the accident. The conclusions were introduced to the victim's families on Wednesday.
