Japan – The Japanese Defense Minister confirmed that the results of the investigation showed that the fatal accident that occurred last month between two Japanese Navy helicopters was the result of their collision during night training.
Minoru Kihara indicated that the results of the investigations emerged following the preliminary analysis of the flight data, adding that the exact cause of the collision is still under investigation.
Kihara ruled out a mechanical failure in the two Marine Defense Forces helicopters, and announced that the exercises – which were halted following the accident – would resume on Friday.
The Japanese Navy lost contact with two reconnaissance helicopters carrying a crew of eight people, late in the evening of April 20, during a night training exercise that took place east of Torishima Island in the Pacific Ocean, regarding 600 kilometers south of the capital, Tokyo.
Since then, rescue teams have found a crew member of the two helicopters in the water, but he later died, and the search is still ongoing for the rest of the seven missing people, and for the bodies of the two planes.
The depth of the seabed at the crash site is regarding 5.5 km, and recovering the two helicopters poses a difficult challenge. The authorities have used the marine oceanographic vessel GS Syonan since late April to conduct the search.
It is believed that the two helicopters came very close during anti-submarine warfare training, which included flying several helicopters and lowering the sonar device into the water.
Some media reports stated that the collision warning system was not used, possibly due to training in harsh environmental conditions.
Source: AP
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2024-05-03 11:43:37
