F-16I crash.-

An Israeli Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16I "Sufa" crashed in the Mediterranean sea 27 Nm (50km) off the coast of the Gaza Strip from a high altitude, during a training flight on Sunday afternoon, 7 July. The two crew members ejected safely from the aircraft before it hit the water. They were later rescued by the Air Force’s 669 Search And Rescue Unit and were airlifted to Tel Hashomer Hospital outside Tel Aviv where they underwent medical inspections. The airmen were in good condition and they were released from the hospital Sunday evening.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and Israel Navy Chief Maj. Gen. Ram Rothberg commanded the rescue operation from a navy craft near the scene.

The aircraft was reportedly from the 107th Squadron "Knights of the Orange Tail" (Hatzerim Airbase) and, after its Pratt & Whitney F100 engine malfunctioned, the crew were able to dispatch a mayday distress call back to base before ditching their plane.

Air Force Chief Maj Gen Amir Eshel temporarily suspended training flights involving the service's remaining F-16Is and Boeing F-15I strike aircraft until an initial inquiry into the failure has been completed. Both types are powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-229 engine. In October 2012, the IAF grounded its entire fleet of aircraft for a day following a number of near-miss incidents during training flights.

The accident reduces the air force's active inventory of two-seat F-16Is to 99 aircraft. It is the third loss to have involved the Israeli variant, following a fatal crash in November 2010 and a landing gear failure in 1996.