IAF pilots abandon jet going 300 km/hr

Two Israeli Air Force pilots were forced to abandon their F-16 jet on Wednesday while attempting to land it at the Ramat David airbase in northern Israel. An initial investigation revealed that the pilots were forced to abandon the plane due to technical malfunctions that could have caused it to crash, explained IAF Chief Major General Amir Eshel. The pilots were evacuated for medical examinations, although they did not appear to be harmed. The incident took place at around 2pm, as the jet was attempting to land at the end of a routine training flight. As the jet was approaching its landing destination, the pilot and navigator detected a potentially life-threatening malfunction in their gear. They then abandoned the aircraft as it was travelling at a speed of 300 km per hour. Eshel said the Air Force is conducting an investigation of the incident. The IAF has grounded all fighter-jets of the same model, as the precise malfunction is still unknown.