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TOKYO — A U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed into the sea near Yakushima island in southern Japan with eight people on board, the Japanese Coast Guard said Wednesday.
The Coast Guarded so far has reported finding one unconscious person near the crash site. It received an emergency call around 2:45 p.m. reporting the crash off the coast of Yakushima, a small, remote island in the Kagoshima prefecture, in the southernmost part of Japan.
The aircraft’s left engine appeared to be on fire as it descended into the sea, reported NHK, Japan’s main broadcaster, which also said that fisherman had recovered at least three bodies from the sea.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the aircraft disappeared from radar at 2:40 p.m. in a news conference. The 10th Regional Coast Guard of Kagoshima is investigating the incident.
Osprey usage was temporary grounded in Okinawa after a crash involving a U.S. military Osprey December 2016. Due to safety concerns, the use of the Osprey has been controversial in Japan.
In August, three U.S. Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed during routine exercises in Australia. Five Marines were killed in June 2022 during an Osprey crash in California. There was also a crash in March 2022 in Norway killing four and crashes in Syria and Australia in 2017.
The Marine Corps is the service most associated with the tilt rotor MV-22B Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but then can transition into a fixed wing aircraft while in flight. It is used for transporting personnel and equipment and is lauded for its speed and flexibility.
The aircraft, however, is associated with several deadly crashes and its safety record has been under regular scrutiny.
This is a developing story and will be updated.