On 10 May 1977, an Israeli Air Force Sikorsky CH-53 Yas'ur helicopter crashed during an exercise in the Jordan Valley, killing all 54 on board (including the 10-member flight crew). The disaster became known as Ason HaNun-Daled, or "Disaster of the 54"."Copter Falls Killing 54 Israeli Soldiers." Associated Press at The Evening Independent, reposted at Google News. May 11, 1977. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
It remains the worst single-aircraft accident in the West Bank. The crash site was in the Jordan Valley, near the Israeli settlement of Na'aran, north of Jericho in a wadi. The cause was determined to be flying at too low an altitude during the dark, which caused the helicopter to strike a hill, crash and explode (CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain).
See also 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster
References
External links Memorial site, in Hebrew