Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 7 - 13 [US FORCES]

MV-22 Ospreys make 2 emergency landings within a week

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft stationed at the U.S. Futenma base (Okinawa Prefecture) caused two emergency landing incidents within a week, on June 6 and 10. These incidents increase Okinawans’ concern over the safety of the accident-prone aircraft.

On the night of June 6, an Osprey made an emergency landing at the U.S. Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield on Ie Island, near Okinawa’s main island. After safety inspections by mechanics, the tilt-rotor aircraft took off from the facility in the afternoon of the following day.

According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the U.S. forces explained to the ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau that the MV-22 landed at the airfield as a precautionary measure after a warning light in the cockpit came on and that there was no injury and no property damage. The bureau requested the U.S. military to investigate the cause of the incident and take preventive measures.

The Ie Village government office stated that such an incident is unprecedented in the village. Japanese Communist Party Ie Village Assembly member Naka Minoru stated that MV-22s are notorious for their dismal accident record. He stressed that fortunately, the latest emergency landing occurred at the U.S. facility, but that it should not be lightly regarded.

The second incident took place on the night of June 10 at Amami Airport, a civilian airport on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. The Okinawa Defense Bureau said that the Osprey crew made a stop at the airport as a precaution after a warning indicator came on. The prefecture’s airport management office said that it received no advance notice of a precautionary landing. The MV-22 underwent safety inspections and left the airport the next day.

JCP member of the Amami City Assembly Sakida Nobumasa said that Amami Oshima residents see Ospreys flying overhead on a daily basis. He insisted that the more frequently the aircraft fly over the island, the larger the risk of crashes the residents face.

Past related articles:
> Okinawa Governor makes strong protest over Osprey crash [December 16, 2016]
> ‘Be thankful’ remark by top US military officer fuels Okinawans’ anger [December 15&16, 2016]