A helicopter carrying Chief of Staff plummeted before engine was restarted * The Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters have been in operational use since the mid-90s.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMJordanian army members participate in a hostage rescue drill during a Black Hawk helicopters handover ceremony to Jordan from the U.S. government, at a Jordanian military base near the town of Zarqa, Jordan, January 28, 2018.(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
The IAF’s Black Hawk helicopters have been grounded following several engine malfunctions over the past two months, one of which nearly caused a crash involving the chief of staff.IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin made the decision Monday morning.Except for operational activities, the squadron will not take part in training and transport operations until the end of an in-depth technical investigation, the military said in a statement.“Safety is our top priority and we have offered our assistance to the Israeli Air Force. We stand ready to support our customer,” Lockheed Martin Sikorsky said in a statement. “The Black Hawk is designed, built and has proven to meet rigorous customer standards in performance and safety. With more than 14M flight hours, the Black Hawk is battle proven and tested and remains the premier multi-role utility helicopter for the U.S. Army and international militaries.”In early July the Yansuf helicopter in which IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi was flying experienced a malfunction shortly after take-off from the Knesset as it was heading to the Tel Nof airbase.The incident occurred as the pilots performed a drill to alternate engines. Both switched off, causing the helicopter to plummet before they managed to reactivate one of the engines about 30 meters from the ground.One of the Black Hawk helicopter’s motors experienced a technical malfunction, the IDF said at the time.The incident nearly led to a disaster due to incorrect handling of the situation by the flight crew, which shut down the aircraft’s working motor along with the malfunctioning one, the IDF said.The UH-60A Black Hawk, a medium-utility, two-engine helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky, has been in IAF service since 1994. It was first used in combat during Operation Grapes of Wrath against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in 1996.The helicopter was designed in the 1970s as a utility tactical transport aircraft for the US Air Force. It can carry either a dozen troops with equipment or over a ton of equipment.
