Light Plane Crash Kills 70-Year-Old Man, Critically Injures 34-Year-Old

A light aircraft crashed near the entrance to Kafr Qara in Wadi Ara on Tuesday morning, killing a 70-year-old man and critically injuring a 34-year-old man. The plane, which was on a training flight with an instructor and a student aboard, caught fire upon impact and ignited a brush fire on a nearby slope.

Magen David Adom (MDA) received the report of the crash at 9:12 AM. MDA, fire, and police teams were dispatched to the scene, where they found the plane destroyed and burning on the mountainside near Highway 65.

One of the crew members was rescued from the aircraft conscious and transported by intensive care ambulance to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. "The man was extricated to us in moderate condition, suffering from burns to his limbs," said MDA paramedic Ayman Arnaut. "We provided him with life-saving medical treatment and are evacuating him to the hospital." During the evacuation, his condition worsened, and he was defined as critical, sedated, and ventilated.

The second crew member remained trapped inside the plane. After complex rescue operations, he was removed from the wreckage, but MDA teams found him without signs of life, with multi-system trauma and extensive burns, and were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

Paramedic Charlie Churi and senior EMT Moshe Cohen stated, "Immediately upon receiving the report about the plane crash, we arrived at the scene with large Magen David Adom forces including: immediate response motorcycles, ambulances, and intensive care units. A 34-year-old man was extricated to us from the plane in serious condition and suffering from severe burns to his body. We provided him with life-saving medical treatment, including sedation and ventilation, and evacuated him to the hospital. Afterward, we waited at the scene for the extraction of another victim who was trapped. After strenuous work by the firefighters, a man in his 70s was brought out to us, with critical injuries and no signs of life, and after medical examinations, we were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene."

Simultaneously, firefighters from the Hadera station worked in two sectors: one team to extinguish the burning plane, and others to contain the brush fire that spread down the slope towards the homes of Kafr Qara. After prolonged firefighting efforts, the fire front was contained, and the fire department reported that there was no longer any danger to the homes in the area.

Initial reports from the scene mistakenly reported a crop duster helicopter crash, but after clarification with aviation authorities, it was determined to be a light aircraft with no pesticides on board. Commander of the Iron Police Station, Superintendent Tzachi Ben Haim, held a situation assessment at the scene. An investigator from the Civil Aviation Authority and ZAKA volunteers arrived at the scene, and two fire crews remained in the area to complete firefighting and assistance operations. The police urged the public to avoid the scene and obey police instructions.