Israeli forces operating in southern Syria have recovered a key component of an Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter that crashed more than half a century ago. The discovery, announced on Dec. 23, brings a sense of closure to a tragic incident from the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The recovered part is the rotor head of an SA 321 Super Frelon helicopter, known in the IAF as the “Wasp”. This particular aircraft, designated number 17 in the IAF’s 114th Squadron, was involved in a deadly crash on Apr. 27, 1974, during a rescue mission.
Photo: Israel Defense Forces
The Super Frelon was dispatched to evacuate paratroopers from the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion, who had been hit by a Syrian artillery shell on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. Eight paratroopers were killed, and others wounded, as they prepared to swap out with other forces. The helicopter, carrying medics from the IAF’s elite helicopter-borne search and rescue Unit 669, approached the makeshift helipad where the casualties were waiting. To avoid Syrian missiles, the helicopter flew lower than usual and was caught by a tailwind during its approach, according to an IAF investigation. The tailwind caused the aircraft to plunge towards the ground, and the main rotor struck a rock on the side of the mountain. The impact of the rotor striking the rock led to the immediate crash and the detonation of explosives stored on board the aircraft.
Following the fiery crash, parts of the helicopter fell into a nearby valley. All six crew members perished in the incident. The crew included pilots Maj. Golan Levy and Lt. Amir Amit, flight mechanics Staff Sgt. Yaakov Bernheim and Yaakov Rolle, and Unit 669 personnel Maj. Dr. Ahikam Avni Feinstein and Sgt. Meir Rosenstein. Their bodies were recovered and brought back to Israel for burial shortly after the crash.
The recent discovery of the rotor head was made during operations in southern Syria by troops from the IAF’s Shaldag unit and the 810th Mountains Regional Brigade. The recovery of the rotor head comes some 50 years after the crash. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has been operating in a buffer zone between Israel and Syria, as well as areas slightly beyond it, as a defensive measure following the collapse of the Assad regime earlier this month.
Following the discovery, Unit 669 and the IAF’s missing persons unit went to the crash site to recover the rotor head, and to search for personal items that may be meaningful to the families of the crew members.
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