Two Israeli air force Sikorsky CH-53 2000 transport helicopters collided on 4 February while flying at night from northern Israel to the security zone in south Lebanon. All the 73 soldiers and aircrew on board both helicopters were killed.
The two CH-53s took off at about 18.45 local time from a site near the border and collided a few minutes later. An official investigation is under way, but it seems that the main rotor of one helicopter hit the tail of the other.
The helicopters collided over Shear Yishuv, a kibbutz in northern Israel, and one crashed into an empty house. Israeli air force regulations limit the number of people on board a CH-53 to 33.This was after one crashed in 1977, killing all 54 on board.
Source: Flight International
