JERUSALEM – The Israeli military says the son of an Israeli astronaut killed in the Columbia space shuttle disaster six years ago has been killed in the crash of his F-16 warplane.
Military officials identified the pilot killed on a routine flight over the West Bank as Asaf Ramon, son of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
Ilan Ramon was one of seven crew members killed in 2003 when the Columbia exploded before it was scheduled to land.
Officials said Sunday's crash took place near the West Bank city of Hebron.
A former fighter pilot who took part in Israel's bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, Ilan Ramon was the payload specialist on the 2003 shuttle flight.
The oldest of his four children, Asaf Ramon graduated flight school in June.
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