First Lieutenant Yakir Naveh and flight cadet Oded Koton were killed 52 years ago when their Fouga plane crashed into the Sea of Galilee • It took a year to recover Koton's body; Naveh's remains are still missing.
Pieces of the cockpit of a plane that crashed 52 years ago, killing pilot 1st Lt. Yakir Naveh and cadet Oded Koton, have been discovered in the northeast part of the Sea of Galilee.
Naveh, 23, served as a flight instructor in the Israeli Air Force. On May 6, 1962, he and Koton took off for a training flight in an IAF Fouga jet. The plane crashed into the Sea of Galilee and sank. Both Naveh and Koton were killed.
Searches for their bodies began immediately, but it took a year before Koton's body was found and laid to rest.
Every year, the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Navy launch new searches of the Sea of Galilee in an attempt to find Naveh's body and bring the tragedy to a close. A few years ago, Navy teams working with fish farmers from Kibbutz Ein Gev found parts of the plane on the floor of the lake at a depth of 35 meters (115 feet.) Five years ago, Naveh's gun and watch were discovered and identified by his family.
On Monday a few parts of the cockpit were recovered, but the pilot's body is still missing. According to some assessments, Naveh's remains are covered on the floor of the lake, and divers are excavating the area around where the latest plane fragments were discovered.
Naveh's 79-year-old brother accompanies the teams on all their excursions. One team member said "Every year we get closer to the goal of finding [his] body."
Wednesday 26 March 2014
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=16423
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