Plane crashes in residential area; officials believe pilot experienced technical difficulties, attempted emergency landing.
By JPOST.COM STAFFModi'in plane crash 311(photo credit: Daniel Pearlman)
Two men were killed on Friday when their civilian light aircraft crashed into a residential Modi’in street, close to homes in the area.The pilot experienced technical difficulties, emergency services believe, and was trying to carry out an emergency landing before the fatal incident.RELATED:Four killed in light aircraft crash in Haifa IAF baseTwo die in light aircraft crash in GalileeThe pilot, Elhanan Shmueli, a 55-year-old father of four from Modi’in, had been on a cellphone conversation with his wife down below shortly before the crash.The second crash victim was named as 60-year-old father of three Shimshon Rozen, of the southern village of Timurim.
Shmueli attempted to guide his aircraft to a local field for an emergency landing, but did not reach the site, and came down on Modi’in’s Menachem Begin Street.Upon descent, the plane’s wing struck a parked car, causing the crash.Magen David Adom paramedics rushed to the scene and extracted the bodies of the crash victims.Local residents described hearing a large crash.
