Japan’s authorities stated Thursday that it has briefly grounded its fleet of tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey plane following Wednesday’s crash of a U.S. Air Force CV-22B mannequin Osprey off the coast of Japan that has resulted in not less than one dying and 7 different crewmembers nonetheless lacking.
Tokyo additionally appealed to the U.S. army based mostly within the nation to droop Osprey flights within the area aside from these getting used within the search effort for the lacking hybrid plane that may take off and land like a helicopter however fly like an airplane.
“The occurrence of such an accident causes great anxiety to the people of the region,” Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated Thursday to the nation’s parliament. “We are requesting the U.S. side to conduct flights of Ospreys deployed to Japan after these flights are confirmed to be safe.”
The CV-22B Osprey that crashed Wednesday was assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing and based mostly at Yokota Air Base, about 25 miles west of Tokyo. The Air Force stated the reason for the crash stays underneath investigation. Military aviation consultants stated it might take as much as a 12 months to search out out what occurred, however the crash comes on the heels of a string of deadly accidents for the army lately.
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel stated he was praying for the crew’s protected return as the continued search and rescue mission continues.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Japanese Coast Guard, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and the local community and fishermen who are assisting in the search,” he stated in a submit on social media. “The strength of an alliance is not judged when things are going well. It depends on how we support each other in times of adversity.”
The water on the crash web site is believed to be not less than 100 ft deep. Search groups are utilizing sonar gear to assist find lacking crewmembers, officers stated. The physique of the Osprey crew member who was recovered has been handed over to U.S. army officers, Japanese authorities stated.
The Osprey left the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station on Wednesday at Iwakuni round 2:15 p.m. native time. It was heading for the U.S. Air Force’s Kadena Air Base in Onikawa together with two different tilt-rotor plane, the native NHK information community stated, citing Japanese protection officers.
The Osprey has been suffering from mechanical issues for years, with greater than 50 individuals being killed in dozens of crashes. Most lately, a Marine Corps V-22 mannequin crashed in August throughout a coaching operation in Australia, killing three U.S. Marines.
The hybrid V-22 was developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopter. Osprey variants are flown by the Marine Corps, the Air Force, and the Navy, which lately started utilizing them to assist resupply plane carriers.
