118 Squadron ( Israel ) The 118 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force , also known as the Nocturnal Birds of Prey Squadron , is a helicopter squadron of CH - 53 - 2000 Sea Stallions based at Tel Nof Airbase . 2010 crash in Romania . On 26 July 2010 a 118 Squadron Sikorsky CH - 53 Sea Stallion " Yas ' ur " helicopter crashed during a training flight at high altitude in the Carpathian mountains , near the city of Brasov in Romania . All onboard died , four Israeli pilots , two Israeli mechanics and one Romanian officer . After an agreement was signed in 2003 , early in 2004 the Israeli Air Force began cooperation with several air forces of the European armies . As part of the cooperation agreements the Israeli air force is permitted to train in various foreign air spaces . In this way , these agreements opened the possibility for the Israeli air force to practice in complex conditions which are not available in Israel . Initially the training was mostly based in Turkey and over the Black Sea , but later , the training expanded to various countries in Europe . The cooperation agreement between Israel and Romania was signed in September 2003 between the IAF Corps Commander Major General Dan Halutz , and the commander of the Romanian Air Force Major General Gheorghe Catrina . On 18 July 2010 a joint training of the Israeli Air Force and Romanian Air Force , began in which Yasur helicopters from 118 Squadron were used . The helicopter contained an observer on behalf of the Romanian Air Force , a pair of Israeli pilots , a couple of Israeli mechanics , and another set of Israeli pilots who were replace the first set of pilots during the exercise . On 26 July 2010 at 13 : 15 two Yasur helicopters took off from the Romanian Air Force Base in Boboc and headed north toward the Carpathian mountains . The fog which prevailed at the flight altitude made it difficult to navigate the helicopter . At around 15 : 20 the two helicopters went to an altitude of 6200 feet towards a mountain which was in front of them with the aim of passing it , entering heavy fog . Due to the heavy fog , one of the helicopters did not see the edge of the mountain which was to his left , and when he turned left he crashed into the mountain and caught on fire . Six Israeli serviceman and one Romanian liaison officer were killed in the accident . Initial reports over the loss of contact with the CH - 53 helicopter were received in the Israeli Air Force headquarters around 17 : 00 pm ( Israeli time ) , and as a result a gag order was issued in Israel over releasing information regarding the accident in the Israeli media – in order that the IDF would be able to personally contact and inform the families of the deceased , before they heard about it in the media . Although initially the Israeli media did not report the accident , the Internet was flooded with information about the accident in international news websites , blogs and social networks . Immediately after learning of the accident the Air Force Commander Maj . Gen . Ido Nehoshtan appointed a rescue delegation , headed by Brigadier - General Jacob Shaharabani . Soon thereafter they left Israel towards Romania , and included members of the rabbinate , medical professionals , and about 30 soldiers from the Israeli heliborne medevac extraction unit Unit 669 . After arriving near the site of the crash , the Israeli delegation had to climb up to the site of the crash , had search for the fatalities and later on had to extricate them from the site in order to confirm their identification and to bring them to a proper burial . As a result of the accident , the Israeli Air Force Commander ordered a halt to all Force training flights for one day . Following the accident , the joint training exercise was discontinued and all Israeli participants and Israeli aircraft were returned to Israel . The Israeli media noted that despite the seniority of the IAF Sikorsky CH - 53 Sea Stallion " Yas ' ur " helicopters , the helicopters were recently upgraded , both in terms of systems and in terms of technical care , as part of the " Yas ' ur 2025 " program aimed at having the Sikorsky CH - 53 helicopters remain in service up till 2025 . At noon of 27 July 2010 , the Romanian Defense Ministry officially announced in the media that 7 bodies were found , and that there were no survivors in the accident . Around midnight of 27 July 2010 the Romanian army discover the helicopter ' s black box . The Romanian troops sent a photo of the black box to the IDF , which confirmed that it was the actual black box of the helicopter . Israeli Air Force officials confirmed that Israel would investigate the black box . After the accident , officials in the Israeli Air Force requested the Romanian Air Force to bring the remains of the helicopter back to Israel in order that the Israeli Army could carry out a full investigation of the event . The Romanian and Israeli military aviation commanders decided to collaborate in raising a memorial at the site of the crash . Seven months after the accident , Israel decided that the widow of the Romanian captain , who was killed in an accident , be given the status of a " widow of the Israeli army " , and as such she would be granted a monthly pension from the Israeli Defense Ministry . In addition , it was decided that a special fund would be opened for her baby which would include an initial fund of 20 , 000 dollars .