Japan Press Weekly

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2018 January 31 - February 6 [SDF]

SDF helicopter crashes into residential area

A Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter on the evening of February 5 crashed onto a house in Saga’s Kanzaki City, killing one crewmember on board and injuring a 11-year-old girl. In the close vicinity of the crash site, there are a kindergarten, a childcare center, and an elementary school.

The Defense Ministry announced that the crashed aircraft is an AH-64 helicopter stationed at the GSDF Camp Metabaru in Saga. When the helicopter crashed into a room of the house, the residents were fortunately in other rooms.

The house, which caught fire after the accident, is located under a routine flight route of SDF aircraft. A man who lives 1 km away from the crash site said that around the time of the crash, he heard a huge bang and later saw black smoke rising in the sky.

Following the crash, Japanese Communist Party member of the Kanzaki City Assembly Fukuda Kiyomichi rushed to the accident site to gather information. According to Fukuda, a local man witnessed objects falling from the helicopter just before it crashed. Fukuda said he found many holes which were apparently caused by aircraft parts falling in rice paddy fields nearby.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Nihi Sohei later in the day met with Fukuda at the accident site.