Interim report: Corrosion in the engine caused the bat helicopter to crash off the coast of Haifa
According to the findings presented to the Air Force commander, the corrosion in the engine caused a fire and smoke to penetrate the helicopter and eventually the deaths of officers Chen Fogel and Ron Birman - who drowned.
Nurkin accepted the crew's recommendation for further investigation, including a gradual return of the bat helicopters to the flight.
"The team dealt calmly with the malfunction"
Amir Bohbot
11/02/2022
Friday, February 11, 2022, 10:30 p.m.
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In the video: Findings of the second interim report on the "Bat" helicopter accident (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
On Wednesday, Air Force Commander Maj. The late Vogel and Captain Ron Birman, the surviving naval patrol officer, will operate a complex emergency for about two minutes until the water is damaged. And helicopter maintenance.
The incident occurred due to an internal failure in the left engine, which later caused a fire to ignite and smoke to penetrate the crew compartment.
The spread of the fire also caused damage to the right engine.
As a result of the damage to both engines, the helicopter quickly lowered and hit the water hard.
The intensity of the damage to the water left the pilots unconscious or dysfunctional, and no actions were identified that indicated their attempted rescue.
It can be determined that the pilots drowned.
The report was then presented to the bereaved families and the squadron.
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To the full article
Lt. Col. Shachinei (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
Major Fogel (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
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An inspection of the helicopter engine by the manufacturer reveals that the technical failure of the left engine was due to hot corrosion in an internal component, which led to the formation of a fatigue crack in the engine turbine blade, which developed in flight and eventually caused abnormally developed fire.
The engine was last tested by the manufacturer in 2017, in accordance with procedures that state that it is required to do so every 1,650 engine hours.
From the last inspection of this engine until the accident, less than 1,400 hours have passed.
In addition, about a year ago, the helicopter underwent a comprehensive inspection in Israel and was found to be in good condition.
According to the manufacturer, this failure is the first of its kind in the world.
The reason for the formation of hot corrosion in the internal component of the engine is still under examination.
Inspection and repair of the internal components of the engine, are done only by the manufacturer.
The investigation team found that the fighters would operate the incident calmly, with continuous teamwork, in rapid diagnosis and while attempting to respond to changes.
It was further found that the pilots did not turn off the engine before operating the fire extinguishing tanks and thus the efficiency of the extinguishing systems is reduced.
"Since the accident there has been a cross-continental effort to understand the accident."
Bat helicopter (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
The crew continued to fly the helicopter until the moment the water hit, thus contributing to the rescue of Captain Birman.
The helicopter overturned a few seconds later.
The crew operated the buoyancy systems, but these systems are not designed to deal with such an impact hit and so the right buoy exploded.
The tail assembly broke, the naval patrol officer's door opened and the helicopter began to sink.
Within eight minutes of losing contact with the helicopter, rescue operations began and forces from the Air Force, Navy and the Israel Police were launched.
Under the conditions of this accident, the pilots could not be rescued.
Captain Birman was rescued alive.
"Since the accident, an unrestricted cross-continental effort has been made with a variety of consultants, civilian companies, test pilots and the manufacturer in France to understand in depth the circumstances of the accident," the Air Force commander said.
"We did not find any failure in the day-to-day maintenance process. The Bat helicopter is a helicopter that has flown for many years, and its engines are common in the world and no accidents are known. An accident is preventable, and we understand that the cause of the accident was a technical fault."
"We will continue to research and improve and do as much as possible to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," Nurkin continued.
The late Lt. Col. Erez Shahaini, Deputy Commander of the Ramat David Base, and the late Major Chen Fogel, Deputy Commander of the Defenders of the West Squadron, both senior and experienced pilots and commanders in the corps, who performed many training and operational activities and gained thousands Flight hours, held command and combat roles and contributed greatly to the security of the State of Israel. The pilots performed emergency and escape drills that trained them to deal with extreme events. Captain Ron Birman. "
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