SDF helicopter part likely to have fallen in SW Japan

April 22, 2018

Kumamoto- A part is believed to have fallen from a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, a local JGSDF division has said.

According to the public relations office of the 8th Division, based in the city of Kumamoto, the 10-centimeter-by-8-centimetert metal cover of a window to check the rear rotor gearbox may have fallen from the UH-60JA helicopter while flying.

The helicopter took off from JGSDF Vice-Camp Takayubaru at Kumamoto Airport in the town of Mashiki at 1:54 p.m. Saturday (4:54 a.m. GMT) and returned to the camp at 3:27 p.m. after flying over the Yatsushiro Sea and Kumamoto, the capital of the prefecture.

The part, weighing about 29 grams, was found missing during an inspection after the flight, the office said, adding that the division has received no damage report.

Takahiro Matsuura, the 8th Aviation Squadron chief, apologized for causing trouble to people concerned and pledged to discover the cause of the accident promptly and take preventive measures. Jiji Press