TOKYO >> Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed within the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo throughout a nighttime coaching flight after presumably colliding with one another, the nation’s protection minister mentioned Sunday.
One crew member who had been recovered from the waters was later pronounced lifeless, whereas rescuers looked for seven others who have been nonetheless lacking.
The two SH-60K choppers from the Maritime Self Defense Force have been carrying 4 crew every and misplaced contact late Saturday close to Torishima island about 370 miles south of Tokyo, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara informed reporters.
The reason for the crash was not instantly identified, however the two helicopters may need collided with one another earlier than crashing into the water, Kihara mentioned.
Rescuers have recovered a flight information recorder, a blade from every helicopter, and fragments believed to be from each choppers in the identical space, indicators that the 2 SH-60Ks have been flying shut to one another, Kihara mentioned. Officials will analyze the flight information to attempt to decide what led to the crash.
The MSDF deployed eight warships and 5 plane for the search and rescue of the lacking crew.
The helicopters, twin-engine, multi-mission plane developed by Sikorsky and often called Seahawks, have been modified and produced in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They have been on nighttime anti-submarine coaching within the waters, Kihara mentioned. One misplaced contact at 10:38 p.m. in Japan and despatched an automated emergency sign a minute later.
Only one misery name was heard — one other signal the 2 helicopters have been close to the identical place, as a result of their indicators use the identical frequency and couldn’t be differentiated, Kihara mentioned.
One belonged to an air base in Nagasaki, and the opposite to a base in Tokushima prefecture.
The SH-60K plane is often deployed on destroyers for anti-submarine warfare, however can also be used for search and rescue and different missions. Japan has about 70 of the modified helicopters which might be license-produced by MHI.
Saturday’s coaching solely concerned the Japanese navy and was not a part of a multinational train, protection officers mentioned. They mentioned no overseas plane or warships have been noticed within the space.
Japan, beneath its 2022 safety technique, has been accelerating its army buildup and fortifying deterrence within the southwestern Japanese islands within the Pacific and East China Sea to counter threats from China’s more and more assertive army actions. Japan lately has carried out its personal in depth naval workout routines in addition to joint drills with its ally the United States and different companions.
Saturday’s crash comes a yr after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60 Blackhawk crashed off the southwestern Japanese island of Miyako, on account of an engine output downside often called “rollback,” leaving all 10 crew members lifeless, which shocked the nation. In January 2022, a Air Self-Defense F-15 fighter jet crashed off the north-central coast of Japan, killing two crew.
In 2017, a Japanese navy SH-60J, an earlier technology Seahawk, crashed throughout a nighttime flight coaching off Aomori, on account of human error. In the U.S., a deadly crash of a MH-60S Seahawk throughout coaching off California in 2021 was attributed to mechanical failure from unsuspected injury throughout upkeep, in accordance with the Navy.
Japan’s NHK public tv mentioned no climate advisories have been issued within the space on the time of Saturday’s crash.