Society | Feb 20

US F16 dumps fuel tanks into lake

Feb 20 (NHK) - A fighter jet from the US Misawa Airbase in northern Japan developed an engine fire on Tuesday morning and offloaded fuel tanks into a lake.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera disclosed the mishap to reporters based on a report from the US military.

He said the engine fire broke out immediately after the F16 jet took off from Misawa Airbase in Aomori Prefecture, at around 8:39 AM. The pilot offloaded 2 external fuel tanks into Ogawara Lake to the north of the airbase before returning to the base at 8:42 AM.

Onodera said there have been no reports of injuries or damage on the ground.

He said he presumes the 2 fuel tanks were released for safety reasons.

This is the latest in a recent series of accidents involving US military aircraft in Japan.

Onodera said he will hear explanations from the US military about why the incident happened and he will request measures to prevent recurrences.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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