Two Japanese Navy helicopters crash in the Pacific Ocean; There is 1 dead and 7 missing

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense minister said Sunday that two Japanese Navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed after possibly colliding with each other during a training flight over the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo.

One rescued crew member was later declared dead while rescue teams searched for seven other personnel who were still missing.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said in a statement to the press that two SH-60K helicopters of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, each carrying four crew members, were shot down near Torishima Island, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo. lost contact on saturday

Kihara said the cause of the accident is currently unknown, but the two helicopters could have collided with each other before falling into the sea.

In the same area, rescue teams recovered a flight data recorder, a blade from each helicopter and fragments from both aircraft, indicating that the two Sh-60Ks were flying very close to each other, Kihara said. Officials will analyze flight data to determine the cause of the crash.

The Maritime Self Defense Force deployed eight warships and five aircraft for search and rescue operations for the missing crew members.

The twin-engine multi-mission aircraft, designed by Sikorsky and known as the Seahawk, was modified and manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. They were taking part in anti-submarine training at night, Kihara said. Contact with one of the helicopters was lost around 10:38 pm (1338 GMT) and an automatic emergency signal was sent a minute later.

Only one distress call was received, Kihara said, which is another indication that both helicopters were near the same location because their signals use the same frequency and could not be distinguished.

One of these helicopters was from an airport in Nagasaki and the other was from a base in Tokushima Prefecture.

SH-60K aircraft are commonly deployed on destroyers for anti-submarine missions.

Defense officials said Saturday’s training involved only the Japanese Navy and the operation was not part of any multinational exercise. He indicated that no foreign aircraft or warships were seen in the area.

As part of its 2022 Security Strategy, Japan is accelerating its military preparedness to counter China’s increasingly aggressive military activities and strengthening its deterrent force in Japan’s southwestern Pacific islands and the East China Sea. Is. In recent years, Japan has conducted its own naval exercises as well as joint maneuvers with its ally the United States and other partners.

Saturday’s crash came a year after a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed off Miyako Island in southwestern Japan, killing all 10 crew members. In January 2022, an Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet crashed off the central coast in northern Japan. Two crew members died.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said there were no weather warnings at the time of the crash.