An Israeli Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed on the morning of January 16, 2026, after becoming detached mid-air during a recovery operation in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to the IDF, the helicopter, known in the Israeli service as the ‘Yanshuf’ (Owl), had made a precautionary landing earlier in the week in an open area of the Etzion Brigade sector due to difficult weather conditions.
Damaged helicopter falls to the ground
During a recovery effort, the damaged aircraft was being airlifted when it became detached and fell to the ground. There were no injuries in the incident, the IDF said.
Footage published showed the helicopter dropping from a low altitude after the lifting connection failed. The recovery aircraft was reported to be a CH-53 Yasur, Israel’s designation for its CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy-lift fleet.
An Israeli Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter transported by a CH-53 Sea Stallion detached mid-air and crashed to the ground.
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) January 16, 2026
The incident took place on Friday near Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/2lPUGNNYhV
Investigation launched by IAF chief
Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar ordered the establishment of a military investigative committee to examine the circumstances of the accident and the procedures used during the recovery lift.
Black Hawk helicopters in Israeli service are used for routine transport missions and for inserting and extracting troops during military operations. The Yasur fleet, which has been in service for decades, performs heavy-lift and special operations tasks and is due to be progressively replaced by the new CH-53K-based ‘Pere’ helicopters later in the decade.