Israel aviation officials are investigating a possible cover-up by Israir, reporting a plane that landed in Ben-Gurion International Airport from Eilat had a hole in the craft.

Officials’ fear Israir knew about the hole prior to takeoff from Eilat, and is hinting the airline may have permitted the plane to take off for Rome as scheduled; a move that investigators allege may have placed the plane and passengers in perilous danger.

Airline officials may have tried to interfere with the investigation, seemingly trying to cover-up the facts in the case. Israir confirms the matter is under investigation, stressing passengers were never at risk.

The flight left Eilat on Thursday evening. Ground crew technicians at Ben-Gurion discovered the hole near the craft’s rear door. The hole was reported to be several millimeters in diameter. The plane was grounded pending repairs, which took several hours.

It appears the stair truck in Eilat caused the hole, and Israir officials in Eilat never filed a report of the incident.

Yitzchak Raz, Israel’s chief airline accident investigator is on the case and he will assess if the airline covered up by not filing a report and if the hole was known to airline officials prior to taking off from Eilat. Raz explains that flying from Tel Aviv to Italy, the plane climbs to an altitude above 10,000 feet, and varying pressures could cause the craft to blow up with a hole the size of the one detected.

He added that it could be the hole was noticed and the decision was made to fly from Eilat at a lower altitude, thereby eliminating the concerns. “It is possible there was no one to address the problem in Eilat” he explains.

Raz is hopeful there was no cover-up, explaining the initial report from Israir states the craft flew within the normal accepted parameters. He added that a number of questions must be addressed before he will get a wider perspective of the picture.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)