IAF F-16 crash investigation: "Crew acted according to procedure"
The initial results of a report compiled by military investigators reveal that the F-16 crew operated correctly and further investigation into a possible exhaust system and/or ejection malfunction are being conducted; 'The Air Force will do everything to understand what happened and how it happened.'
Cohen Nov's family received a copy of the report, which included a description of the investigation and recommendations for immediate action in light of initial findings.
The Commander of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, ordered the immediate implementation of the recommendations outlined in the report in order to reduce the risk to personnel until completion of the full investigation into the accident.
Cohen Nov, 34 at the time of his death, was married and a father to a young daughter, with another baby on the way. He was killed during an attempted ejection from his fighter jet during a landing at Ramon Airbase in the Negev. According to initial findings, Cohen Nov encountered unspecified difficulties while attempting to land the aircraft and tried to circle the base before attempting a second landing. Following further difficulty, Maj. Cohen Nov attempted to eject the aircraft.
According to procedure and the natural operation of the plane's evacuation system, the navigator ejects first, as the pilot's ejection system burns the navigator's seat in the cockpit. The pilot's ejection was supposed to occur seconds after the navigator, but due to unspecified reasons, Cohen Nov did not manage to complete the ejection and the aircraft crashed.
The plane is believed to have come in for the landing in an "asymmetrical" position, in which one side of the aircraft weighs more than the other, as a result of munitions after Cohen Nov was returning from a strike in the Gaza Strip. The investigation is also examining the possibility of a malfunction in the pilot's exhaust system.
After the incident, Maj. Gen. Eshel visited the bereaved family and told Cohen Nov's parents and wife that, "The Air Force will do everything to understand what happened and how it happened."
