Scuffed wings incident: Hercules planes' pilots to be jailed
A week after Israel's Independence Day flyover, during which two Samson planes had come into close contact—the army decided to send the two captains to the slammer; the rest of the ten crew members were grounded.
The Israeli air force treated the incident with great severity when two new Samson (Super Hercules) planes came into close contact during the festive flyover held on Independence Day .
The two pilots who flew the heavy transport planes were sent to several days of incarceration, while the rest of the ten crew members in the building were grounded for various periods.
After the incident, it was decided to ground the transport aircraft for one day, as part of the investigation, during which it became apparent that the pilots did not observe the rules of caution and keep a minimum of distance from each other, as is customary in such non-operational flights, in a way that would endanger their safety and lead to a more serious injury, and possibly even a crash.
Despite the IAF investigation, they still don't know where the dangerous contact occurred.
Videos posted online of amateur photographers revealed that the two planes were indeed very close to each other over Tel Aviv, but the investigation revealed that only after landing at Nevatim base in the south, the ground crews noticed the suspicious scuff marks on the end of the wings, which indicated contact between the two planes.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said in response, "Last week, the Independence Day flyover investigation ended. Following the investigation, immediate steps were taken regarding the flight procedures in the building. The aircraft crews were grounded for various times. The pilots of the planes were also sentenced to prison. The Air Force views such incidents seriously and investigates them in depth to prevent their recurrence."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
