The IDF published its final findings from an investigation into the crash of a Navy Atalef AS565 Panther helicopter off the coast of Haifa in January, in which two soldiers were killed.
The investigation found that the team conducted complex emergency maneuvers for nearly two minutes before they hit the water. The crash was caused by an internal failure that developed in the left engine, which caused it to catch on fire and pushed smoke into the cabin. The right engine also caught on fire, causing the helicopter to lose altitude fast and hit the water hard. The two pilots were knocked unconscious and drowned.