2 killed in light plane crash
Cessna plane goes up in flames after crashing in Galilee, apparently due to engine malfunction
At 10:10 am firefighters, paramedics, and police received notification of the crash, which had occurred in open spaces in the upper Galilee.
Scene of crash (Photo: David Fischer, MDA)
Paramedics pronounced the two people on board dead immediately upon their arrival. Firefighters who arrived on the scene said the fire had started after the crash.
David Fischer, a paramedic on board the Magen David Adom helicopter first to arrive at the scene, told Ynet that they had seen two people trapped inside after firefighters began putting out the flames but could not help them.
Fischer described his frustration with the unsuccessful rescue mission. "We tried to get close (to the plane) but the flames held us back," he said.
"The firefighters arrived and succeeded in getting the fire under control, and then we noticed the two people trapped inside. Despite hopes and efforts we had no choice but to pronounce them dead."
The paramedic explained that MDA's quick arrival did not help matters, in contrast with other cases. "It's a classic case in which even an experienced medical man stands helpless before a plane going up in flames without being able to assist the people in danger," he said.
"It's frustrating and hard to accept. We waited until the firefighters finished working and then noted that the cause of death was that they had been trapped in the cockpit where they were seated."
The Airports Authority said the plane was a Cessna 172 and that it had taken off from Herzliya Thursday morning. There had apparently been an engine malfunction, which the pilot reported, forcing him to try to land at the
Mahanayim airport. However, the plane crashed three kilometers short of its mark.
The most recent light plane crash was in August. Two people were killed when their plane crashed into a field near Kibbutz Schiller.
Yoav Zitun contributed to this report
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