TEL AVIV — An Israeli navy helicopter crashed near Haifa on the Mediterranean coast late Monday, killing two pilots.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that the helicopter was conducting a training flight when it crashed.

A third crew member, an aerial observer, was injured and evacuated to a hospital, the military said. “After extensive resuscitation efforts, the two pilots were declared dead.”

The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The chief of the Israeli Air Force has ordered the immediate suspension of all training flights and the use of helicopters from the same array of the doomed aircraft.

The families of the pilots have been notified. “The IDF expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families and will continue to support them,” the statement said.

The military was working to recover all fragments of the aircraft in order to “begin a thorough investigation,” IAF Brig. Gen. Amir Lazar told reporters early Tuesday morning.

“We can’t yet guess what happened. The helicopters are older, but they are durable,” Lazar said.

The AS565 Panther helicopter, known by the IAF as an “Atalef,” or bat, is a 25-year-old aircraft primarily used for missions at sea.

The aircraft are scheduled to be replaced in the next two years with the Seahawk helicopter, a naval-focused version of the Blackhawk helicopter currently in use by the IAF. — Agencies