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Last update - 01:36 03/02/2006
Paratrooper killed in training accident
By Amos Harel

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in a parachuting accident yesterday at Nitzanim beach.

Yosef Goodman, 20, of Efrat, from the Maglan elite unit, was taking part in a routine training jump at about 5 P.M. when his parachute tangled with that of another jumper. (See story on page 3.)
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The soldier's family was notified of his death.

The two men were parachuting from a Hercules transport plane. Apparently their parachutes became entangled shortly after they jumped. The paratrooper who was killed, who was apparently above his comrade, attempted unsuccessfully to release his reserve chute. He was killed when he hit the ground. His comrade landed safely.

IDF Ground Forces commander Major General Benny Gantz set up an inquiry to look into the accident. The committee will be headed by Colonel Harel Knafo, head of the IDF's squad commander school. The Military Police will also investigate the accident.

This type of parachuting accident is extremely rare. About seven years ago some 20 reserve paratroopers were injured during training.

The most prominent such accident occurred during an exercise at Tze'elim in 1995. Some 20 reserve soldiers were wounded when strong gusts picked up and blew them over rocky terrain.

In yesterday's accident, the parachuting instructor who times the paratroopers' jumps from the plane could have made a mistake. If one jumps too soon after another, the two could collide.

Another possibility is the paratrooper himself made a mistake. Customarily a paratrooper must leave the aircraft with one foot forward, to prevent turning over in the air, which could make it difficult to open the parachute on time or entangle it in a string. There is also a possibility of a malfunction deriving from the way the chute was folded, although these are extremely rare.

The last fatal training accident in the IDF was in December. A soldier was killed when an armored personnel carrier overturned at a base in the Negev.

Maglan, an elite unit, was formed some 20 years ago.
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