(Haaretz).Tragedy struck the family of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon again Sunday, when his son Asaf Ramon was killed in a crash while flying an Israel Air Force aircraft.
Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut was one of seven crew members killed when the U.S. space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003.
Asaf Ramon's aircraft crashed near the settlement of Bnei Haver, in the rugged terrain of the Hebron Hills. The Israel Defense Forces carried out an aerial and terrestrial search of the area for some 90 minutes before locating the crash site.
IAF Blackhawk ("Yanshuf") helicopters carrying soldiers from 669, the Air Force's elite search and rescue unit, were the first to locate the plane, and they retrieved the pilot's body.
President Shimon Peres eulogized Assaf Ramon, son of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was killed in an F-16 crash south of Mount Hebron.
"In our worst dreams, we could never have imagined such a heartbreaking thing. I knew both of them – the original and the son in his image, the fruit of his loins – Ilan and Assaf, a fighter son of a fighter, a wise man son of a wise man, a fearless man son of a fearless man, a dreamer son of a dreamer,"
Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut was one of seven crew members killed when the U.S. space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, 2003.
Asaf Ramon's aircraft crashed near the settlement of Bnei Haver, in the rugged terrain of the Hebron Hills. The Israel Defense Forces carried out an aerial and terrestrial search of the area for some 90 minutes before locating the crash site.
IAF Blackhawk ("Yanshuf") helicopters carrying soldiers from 669, the Air Force's elite search and rescue unit, were the first to locate the plane, and they retrieved the pilot's body.
President Shimon Peres eulogized Assaf Ramon, son of late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was killed in an F-16 crash south of Mount Hebron.
"In our worst dreams, we could never have imagined such a heartbreaking thing. I knew both of them – the original and the son in his image, the fruit of his loins – Ilan and Assaf, a fighter son of a fighter, a wise man son of a wise man, a fearless man son of a fearless man, a dreamer son of a dreamer,"