An Israeli Air Force pilot was killed Wednesday as he ejected from his F-16I fighter jet after returning from an airstrike mission in the Gaza Strip. The unnamed pilot was in the process of landing at the Ramon Airbase, near the town of Mitzpe Ramon, when he and the plane’s navigator ejected from the F-16I jet. The F-16I burst into flames following the ejection of the crew. Air Force commander Major General Amir Eshel appointed a team of investigators to determine the details of the incident. The 34-year-old was reportedly flying his plane back from Gaza, where the Israeli air force says it was launching attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza strip in an apparent reaction to the bombing of the border town of Sderot earlier in the week.
An Israeli Air Force F-16 crashes while attempting to land at Ramon Airbase in southern Israel, killing the pilot. A navigator who was also in the aircraft successfully ejects and escapes the incident unharmed.