The 300-kilogram bomb did not fully detonate, but created a deep crater in the field.
The IAF on Wednesday completed its initial investigation into an incident in which a fighter plane accidentally dropped a heavy bomb near an Israeli town.
The bomb was dropped Tuesday by an F-16, due to a technical failure, not a human failure, the report showed.
Following this conclusion, the plane has been grounded until further notice.
The bomb, which is of standard make and weighs around 300 kilograms (over 661 lbs), is one which is used by the IDF in routine strikes in Gaza. It created a crater in an agricultural field near Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, but did not fully detonate, since it was not activated by the pilots.
“There was no hit within the borders of the kibbutz, but rather in agricultural areas,” the kibbutz said. “No one was injured. The kibbutz is in constant contact with sources in the military and expects a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the incident.”
