Israeli military helicopter crashes, pilot killed

An Israeli AH-64 Apache longbow helicopter performs in an air show in the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, on December 29, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military says an Apache attack helicopter has crashed while attempting to land at a base in southern Israel, killing the pilot and critically wounding the co-pilot.

“A military helicopter crashed at an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base in southern Israel” late Monday, a military spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, the spokeswoman said.

She further said that all combat helicopters were ordered grounded pending the result of the probe.

Israeli media reported that the helicopter suffered a technical malfunction, adding that it crashed in a training session.

According to Israeli media reports, Israel previously grounded Apache helicopters after a large crack was found in the rotor blade of one. The helicopters began flying again in July.