Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara asked the US military to stop operation of the Osprey transport tiltrotors after the aircraft crashed the previous day, NHK television reported on November 30.
The tiltrotor crashed into the sea during a flight to Okinawa. According to the country’s Ministry of Defense, before the crash, the vehicle’s crew changed course towards the nearby island of Yakushima, which belongs to Kagoshima prefecture. There were 6 US military personnel on board.
Kihara made his appeal as part of a report on the situation to the foreign affairs and defense committee of the upper house of parliament. He noted that the incident is unfortunate as local residents are very concerned.
He also called on his American colleagues to suspend the use of tiltrotors except in search and investigation operations, and asked the military to provide details about the accident as soon as possible.
These aircraft in Japan are used not only by the American military, but also by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The head of the country’s Defense Ministry’s local cooperation office, Taro Yamato, said the department’s ground units would suspend operation of the Osprey.
According to the Secretary of Defense, the US Armed Forces initially characterized the event as “forced landing at sea”but then they changed their characterization and began to use the word “crash”.
Also read: Japanese rescuers found remains in the area of the missing tiltrotor
Several media outlets collect the words of eyewitnesses who observed the process. They say the plane’s left engine caught fire and that at some point the Osprey stopped and then headed downward.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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