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| Avner Tzchori |
An Israeli pilot committed suicide by taking off on a plane with just enough gas to fly for an hour, according to a statement released by Israeli police.
Avner Tzchori, 38, who disappeared on Sunday after taking off from Ein Vered Airport in an ultralight plane, was found dead by a police officer and two volunteers, Monday.
The wrecked plane was found several hours later inside Jordan by Jordanian army forces. The body will be handed over to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
Tzchori had been missing since Sunday morning after taking off from an airport in central Israel on his private ultralight aircraft. A suicide note was later found at his home. He had started taking flying lessons six months ago, but he has not yet received his pilot's license.
In 2003, Tzchori suffered a parachuting accident in the United States that left him paralyzed from the waist down, and wheelchair bound. Since then, he has worked as an inspirational speaker and video editor, among other things, and also worked on the development of technical aids for people with disabilities.
“This is a very tragic ending to a very difficult life. Tzchori has suffered a lot since his accident. Still, everyone is shocked that he committed suicide,” Yonatan Segal, 43, of Petah Tikva, Israel told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the death of Avner Tzchori.