Israel Grounds F-16I During Investigation

[haamimhagolan]

Israel has grounded it's fleet of F-16I fighters, pending the results of an investigation into the detection of formaldehyde in the cockpit of one fighter:
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/03/21/222425/cancer-causing-substance-halts-f-16i-training-flights.html

The F-16I is Israel's newest jet fighter. A total of 102 were ordered during the past decade.

Probably sources for the formaldehyde include jet engine exhaust, a fault in the airplane's air conditioning system, or certain plastics, which can release formaldehyde when heated. Although formaldehyde was detected in only one cockpit, the entire fleet has been grounded as a precautionary measure.

[Chris1]

when did israel gets its f16s?

[haamimhagolan]

The F-16I is the newest version of the airplane delivered to Israel, with the first deliveries beginning in 2004. These are all Block 52+ aircraft, which can be fitted with conformal fuel tanks for extended range. The grounding decision does not effect Israel's older F-16 versions, many of which were delivered to Israel back in the 1980s.

[Chris1]

thx for the info

[haamimhagolan]

Media reports indicate that unusual levels of formaldehyde have been found in an additional two aircraft:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1206632379558

[haamimhagolan]

The Heyl haAvir has returned the F-16I fleet to its regular flight training schedule, with the exception of seven aircraft that remain grounded.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1208870508695&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The seven are the only examples where unusual levels of formaldehyde were detected. They are still attempting to pinpoint the source of the formaldehyde.

According to a detailed report provided by Aviation Week, the F-16I was the airplane that carried out the raid on Syria's nuclear weapons plant last September.