Missing SDF chopper had normal radio communications before vanishing
KYODO NEWS
A Japanese military helicopter that went missing off Okinawa had normal radio communications with air traffic control, including its last contact just 2 minutes before vanishing from radar, people close to the matter said Saturday.
The radio communications between the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's UH-60JA multipurpose helicopter with 10 members aboard and two air traffic control centers in the area did not indicate any abnormalities, they said.
GSDF officials said Saturday the helicopter's automatic distress signal transmitter likely failed when it presumably crashed Thursday afternoon.
Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel look at the waters from Okinawa Prefecture's Miyako Island on April 8, 2023, after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60JA helicopter with 10 members aboard went missing in nearby waters two days earlier. (Kyodo)
Neither of the air traffic control centers received a distress signal from the helicopter's emergency locator transmitter that was designed to automatically activate on impact, the officials said.
The helicopter took off from a base on Miyako Island at 3:46 p.m. on Thursday for a land survey and flew about 10 minutes before disappearing from radar.
Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel searching for a missing Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter in waters off Miyako Island of Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on April 8, 2023. (Kyodo)
Search efforts are continuing, with several objects including part of a rotor blade and a door found so far.
The helicopter underwent a special inspection in late March after 50 flying hours and was taken for a one-hour flight to check its safety but no abnormalities were found at the time, according to the GSDF.
The deadliest accident involving GSDF aircraft was a helicopter crash in Ehime Prefecture in 1968 that left eight people dead.
KYODO NEWS
A Japanese military helicopter that went missing off Okinawa had normal radio communications with air traffic control, including its last contact just 2 minutes before vanishing from radar, people close to the matter said Saturday.
The radio communications between the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's UH-60JA multipurpose helicopter with 10 members aboard and two air traffic control centers in the area did not indicate any abnormalities, they said.
GSDF officials said Saturday the helicopter's automatic distress signal transmitter likely failed when it presumably crashed Thursday afternoon.
Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel look at the waters from Okinawa Prefecture's Miyako Island on April 8, 2023, after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH-60JA helicopter with 10 members aboard went missing in nearby waters two days earlier. (Kyodo)
Neither of the air traffic control centers received a distress signal from the helicopter's emergency locator transmitter that was designed to automatically activate on impact, the officials said.
The helicopter took off from a base on Miyako Island at 3:46 p.m. on Thursday for a land survey and flew about 10 minutes before disappearing from radar.
Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel searching for a missing Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter in waters off Miyako Island of Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, on April 8, 2023. (Kyodo)
Search efforts are continuing, with several objects including part of a rotor blade and a door found so far.
The helicopter underwent a special inspection in late March after 50 flying hours and was taken for a one-hour flight to check its safety but no abnormalities were found at the time, according to the GSDF.
The deadliest accident involving GSDF aircraft was a helicopter crash in Ehime Prefecture in 1968 that left eight people dead.
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Summary
Japanese military helicopter UH-60JA with 10 members went missing off Okinawa on April 8. Last radio communication with air traffic control was normal, and no distress signal was received. Search efforts continue; some objects including a rotor blade have been found. The helicopter underwent an