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Rotor problem caused U.S. chopper's emergency landing in Okinawa

Jan 08, 2018 | News On Japan

Jan 08, 2018 (Japan Times) - The U.S. Marine Corps said Sunday one of its helicopters made an emergency landing on an islet in Okinawa the previous day after an instrument reading indicated the main rotor was “moving at too high a speed.”

None of the four crew members aboard was injured when the UH-1 helicopter landed on a sandy beach on Ikeijima Island. U.S. military personnel continued checking the aircraft Sunday morning and removed the main rotor.

“We are grateful that … no one was hurt and no property was damaged. The Marine Corps will rigorously investigate the cause of the incident,” a Marine Corps officer said.

The incident is the latest in a series of accidents and mishaps involving U.S. aircraft stationed in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military forces in the country. The chopper belongs to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the main island of Okinawa.

Koichiro Nakajima, the Defense Ministry’s local bureau chief, told reporters after inspecting the helicopter that safety remains the priority.

“Flight safety is above everything else. We want (the U.S. military) to work toward that end,” he said.

Nakajima also met the head of the Ikeijima Island residents’ association, who strongly protested the accident.

The chopper apparently landed about 100 meters from a house, a resident said.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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