Divers recuperate the seventh of 8 crew members killed in crash of a U.S. navy Osprey off Japan
TOKYO — Navy divers on Sunday recovered the stays of the seventh of the eight crew members from a U.S. navy Osprey plane that crashed off southern Japan throughout a coaching mission.
The Air Force CV-22 Osprey went down on Nov. 29 simply off Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan whereas on its option to Okinawa. The our bodies of six of the crew had since been recovered, together with 5 from the sunken wreckage of the plane.
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command mentioned in an announcement that the physique recovered by Navy divers was one of many two crew members nonetheless lacking. The identification of the airman has been decided however the info is withheld till subsequent of kin has been notified, the command mentioned.
“Currently there is a combined effort in locating and recovering the remains of our eighth airman,” it mentioned.
Every week after the crash and repeated reminders from the Japanese authorities about security issues, the U.S. navy grounded all of its Osprey V-22 helicopters after a preliminary investigation indicated one thing went flawed with the plane that was not a human error.
The U.S.-made Osprey is a hybrid plane that takes off and lands like a helicopter however can rotate its propellers ahead and cruise a lot sooner, like an airplane, throughout flight.
The crash raised new questions in regards to the security of the Osprey, which has been concerned in a number of deadly accidents over its comparatively brief time in service. Japan grounded its fleet of 14 Ospreys after the crash.
Japanese protection officers say Ospreys are key to the nation’s navy buildup particularly in southwestern Japan, within the face of a rising menace from China. But the crash has rekindled worries and public protests in areas the place extra Osprey deployment is deliberate.
Japanese residents and media have criticized Japan’s authorities for not pushing laborious sufficient to get Ospreys grounded sooner or achieve entry to details about the crash.
