Israeli Air Force fighter jets. Photo: Kevin Gruenwald, USAF via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israeli Air Force pilot Maj. Ohad Cohen Nov, 34, was killed Wednesday during a crash landing of an F-16i fighter jet in southern Israel.

According to reports, the crash took place as the jet was landing at Ramon Air Force Base in southern Israel after carrying out an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Preliminary details of an investigation by the Israeli Air Force indicate that an error occurred during the landing stage due to an imbalance in the plane’s wings. Cohen Nov’s navigator was able to eject successfully before the jet crashed.

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) offers its condolences to the family and will see it through this difficult time,” the IDF said in a statement.

Cohen Nov is survived by his parents, pregnant wife and young daughter.

Tami Shelach, chairperson of the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization (IDFWO), called the loss of Cohen Nov a “huge tragedy” and one that “hit us right to the core.”

“As the wife, mother and grandmother of Israeli Air Force pilots this case is particularly hard,” she said. “I will hug the young widow and her toddler and tell them from personal experience that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that the IDFWO will help them to get there.”