Fifty years after one of Israel’s deadliest aviation accidents, soldiers from the elite Shaldag Unit recovered over the weekend the front rotor of a Super Frelon helicopter that crashed on Syria’s Mount Hermon during the 1974 Independence Day war.
The rotor was transferred to Israel for further examination, providing closure for a tragedy that claimed six lives.
Rotor from Israeli helicopter crash 50 years ago recovered in Syrian Hermon
(Video: IDF)
The crash occurred on the evening of April 24, 1974, less than two weeks after the "Machanayim Disaster," when two Yasur helicopters collided, killing eight soldiers and crew. During the Independence Day mission, a Super Frelon helicopter from the 114th Squadron was dispatched to evacuate casualties from a paratrooper brigade stationed at an outpost near the Syrian Hermon.
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While attempting to land, the helicopter spun out of control, crashed and burst into flames, killing all six crew members: pilots Lt. Amir Amit and Maj. Levi Golan; flight engineers Staff Sgt. Jacob Bernheim and Staff Sgt. Jacob Rol; flight doctor Maj. Dr. Ahikam Avni Feinstein; and medic Sgt. Meir Rosenshtrauch. All were buried in Israel, but debris from the crash—including parts of the helicopter—remained scattered across the mountainside.
Following Israel’s capture of the Syrian Hermon, Shaldag Unit troops discovered the rotor at the crash site, marking a somber closure for the families of the victims, who were informed of the discovery.
Further searches of the area were conducted, though no additional artifacts have been recovered to date.