The V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Yakushima island.
A U.S. V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, with 8 people on board, has crashed off the coast of Yakushima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, the Japan Coast Guard said on Nov. 29, 2023. According to the 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, the emergency call about the incident was received around 2.45PM LT.
A patrol boat and aircraft were dispatched to carry out a search and rescue operation. At 21.20 CET, one crew member is reported as killed in the incident whereas the status of the other 7 is unknown although debris from an aircraft has been found, the Japan Times reported.
According to the few details emerged so far, the Osprey may have crashed some 2 to 4 kilometers away from an airport in Yakushima.
This is just the latest of a series of incidents and mishaps involving the V-22 (MV-22 and CV-22 variants, respectively operated by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force) in the U.S. and abroad. The most recent one before then one in Japan occurred in Australia, on Aug. 27, 2023, when a USMC MV-22B crash landed during a joint exercise. The aircraft was carrying 23 U.S. Marines, three of those were killed.
We will report as new details about the fate of the crew is disclosed.
