The surfboard crash in the Arsuf cliffs: the aircraft pilot did not carry a license

A Civil Aviation Investigation Investigator determined that Arya Leshubar, 73, who was killed in the crash of the surfboard, went on the flight with a mishap "that was supposed to identify himself on the ground." The fatal accident, which occurred in August, also injured a 15-year-old American woman who was visiting Israel. "Floating activity is not enforced"

The surfboard crash in the Arsuf cliffs: the aircraft pilot did not carry a license

The 73-year-old flying pilot who crashed with a passenger on a commercial flight and was killed on Arsuf's cliffs in August did not carry a license at all - according to an investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority (RTA). The passenger, a 15-year-old American girl who was visiting Israel, was injured in the incident and was rescued .

RTA chief investigator Gad Regev stated in the investigation that the flight was "a combination of flying responsibility with a contribution characterized by technical malfunction." Regev also said that the pilot "took a flying flight with a malfunction, which he was supposed to identify himself on the ground."

The surfboard pilot, Arie Leshubar, a resident of Netanya who was the importer of the jet equipment used in the accident, had a 24-year seniority, but the investigation verified what many in the industry knew for many years: a license as required by the air traffic regulations or training activity, not He had. He went to perform his licensing procedure in early 2017, but did not complete the practical test. The principal investigator noted that the accident site in Arsuf is open to all users, in contrast to the area of ​​take-off in Netanya, which belongs to a private person who approves commercial activity only for licensees.

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The site is open to every user. Parachute crash scene near Arsuf (Photo: MDA)

Parachute crash scene near Arsuf August 28, 2019 (Photo: MDA Operation Documentation, official website)

The lead investigator determined that "the commercial activities of levers that do not meet the legal requirements for conducting commercial activities of this type have a high risk potential, as they are not required to meet the accepted and enforced safety standards." He noted: "This activity is endangering an entire audience who watches the activity as well as the clientele who wants to experience such flights. This activity is not even enforced by law authorities."

The accident happened on August 28, shortly after 2:00 pm, the hovering Aryeh Shuber hovered with the girl from the Arsuf floating site on the shore south of the volcano. After several minutes of levitation flight, the voucher and the girl who were connected to each other dived toward the cliff and banged each other.

Floats that were at the takeoff point in Arsuf ran to the point of the fall and began trying to assist in the rescue, but without success. At the same time, rescue forces were called in to assist with an Air Force evacuation helicopter due to the complexity of the scene. A lion for a voucher was fatally wounded and in the scene his death was determined by MDA teams who also evacuated the girl in a moderate condition to a hospital where she was treated and hospitalized.

Unlicensed, unregulated, unenforceable: the outbreak of paragliding

The investigation shows that he did not carry a license. Lion for a voucher killed in an accident

Sharon parachute accident: Arie Yehuda Shocher killed in a parachute crash on a cliff in Arsuf (Photo: Courtesy of the family)

The investigation revealed that Schuber had organized the event together with another hover, calling for a family of tourists from the United States, who requested 20-minute flights to each family member. On the ground, he unfurled the gear at the take-off position, harnessed the passenger to his tandem skimmer harness and noticed distortion in the parachute wing.

First he broke the hover mirror, then lowered the parachute to the ground and redeployed it. He asked the girl's father to help "arrange / repair" the parachute and for the benefit of making another appearance to continue the program with his harnessed daughter. The chief investigator also criticized this. "Relying on a person or staff member who is unfamiliar with the field and who is not properly trained and unskilled can cause more harm than good to the risk of flight," he noted.

Warp of one of the wings when flying, August

Parachute crash floated on Arsuf Cliff, 19 (Photo: None, image processing)

A few minutes later, a voucher went on a flight with the girl on the ridge south and then north, all the while observing significant deformation in the parachute by various levers. The investigation revealed that Schuber himself did not notice a malfunction during most of the flight and flew back and forth along the ridge for about ten minutes without the name of any of the other hoverers present signaling or shouting at him for the fault they noticed.

So, as he was heading north, the sheriff turned left toward the sea, nearing the accident, he appeared to pull a number of stops several times, indicating that at this stage he had identified the distortion present in the parachute. Which may have caused the wing to rise which may have occurred in an accident. The parachute spiraled uncontrollably, and he and the girl hit the cliff and remained suspended and supported on a natural sand step.

Initial help came from three people who were in the area, one who landed near the scene and two others who came from the area and held the parachute so that the casualties did not descend down the steep cliff. Shortly thereafter, union and rescue personnel arrived, volunteers from the Kfar Shmaryahu and Sharon rescue units with MDA forces. After the MDA team realized there was no rescue, it was decided to summon the Air Force that dispatched two helicopters. First came a helicopter transport helicopter, followed by Rescue Unit 669 that carried out the complex rescue. As a result of the damage to the cliff, the hover and passenger were injured, with the hover being defined as humanely injured and even before the evacuation, his death was determined. The girl was evacuated to a hospital, released a few days later and returned to her home abroad.

The Arsuf floating site before the crash

Paratroop crash crashed on Arsuf Cliff, 19 August 2019, Haifa website (Photo: None, image processing)

"It may have been a comment from some of the hoverers present who, according to their evidence, noticed distortion, hovering, may have prevented the accident," the lead investigator stated between his conclusions. "Carrying out vital tests prior to any appearance could have prevented a situation where the hover has been hit, and its failure may have resulted in an accident and its fatal consequences." He also noted that "the nature of the hover's activity in the type of accident-carrying flights was more suited to the type of parachute that provides improved performance, along with easy hovering."

There are conclusions, but there are no recommendations, thus ending the involvement of the Ministry of Transport: "Because this is a flying event that is not under safety aviation regulation, the lead investigator did not find it appropriate to make any recommendations."