IAF jet training halted after safety incidents
Series of alarming close calls, one of which resulted in five-day detention for pilot, leads to cancellation of training exercises.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) cancelled training exercises for its fighter jets on Thursday, following several serious safety incidents occurring over the last few days.
According to IAF Commander in Chief Amir Eshel, the fighter jet fleet will devote itself in the coming days to instruction and improving flight safety. The IDF emphasized that operational activities and preparedness would continue as usual.
During training flights earlier this week, two fighter aircraft passed in close proximity to each other, in contradiction with instructions and in a manner that endangered the pilots' safety. Following the incident, one pilot was sentenced to five days of detention for carelessness, and training was halted for several hours.
Despite the near miss, on Wednesday two fighters again flew too close to each other. As in the previous incident, no damage actually occurred.
In another incident this week, a bird collided with a fighter's cockpit during a flight, but caused no damage. While this was obviously not under the pilot's control, the air force does instruct pilots to avoid flocks of birds.
Finally, this week a vehicle belonging to the air force base drove on the runway close to a scheduled takeoff.
