On Wednesday, a US Osprey military aircraft, carrying eight crew members, crashed off a Japanese island, according to the coastguard. This incident marks the latest in a series of accidents involving tilt-rotor military aircraft.
Details regarding the fate of the crew members remained unclear, with the coastguard reporting the discovery of one unconscious person at the crash site. Efforts were underway to resuscitate the individual found in the sea.
Local media reported the spotting of wreckage near the crash site. The coastguard spokesperson informed AFP, “We received information at 2:47 pm (0547 GMT) today that the US military’s Osprey crashed off Yakushima Island,” adding that there were eight crew members on board.
An emergency management official in the Kagoshima region shared information with AFP, stating, “Police received a report that an Osprey was spewing fire from a left engine and was landing at a beach near Yakushima Airport.”
The coastguard mobilized patrol ships and aircraft around Yakushima, situated south of Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu. According to NHK, the Osprey was en route from the Iwakuni US base near Hiroshima to the Kadena base in Okinawa.
Sources from Japan’s defense ministry indicated that the aircraft involved was a CV-22 Osprey from the US Yokota air base in Tokyo.
Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno affirmed that Japan was aware of the situation and was prioritizing efforts to save human lives. The US embassy in Japan had not provided immediate comments at the time of reporting.
The Osprey, known for its ability to function as both a helicopter and a fixed-wing plane, has experienced a history of fatal crashes. The incident in Japan follows previous accidents, including a fatal crash in Australia in August, raising concerns about the aircraft’s safety record.
