Japan ASDF fighter crashes off Ibaraki prefecture
A Japanese Air Self-Defence Force F-2 fighter crashed into the ocean off Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, during a training exercise on Thursday.
The sole pilot on board ejected from the aircraft and was taken to a hospital after being rescued by an ASDF helicopter. The pilot is not injured.
"We sincerely apologise for causing concern to the public," Takehiro Morita, chief of staff of the ASDF, told an extraordinary press conference on Thursday.
The accident occurred shortly after 12.30pm The F-2, part of the 7th Air Wing based at the ASDF Hyakuri base in the city of Omitama, Ibaraki, took off from the base at 11.44am and was training in an airspace some 150 kilometres northeast of the base together with three other F-2 aircraft and two ASDF rescue aircraft at the time of the accident. The pilot made an emergency escape after reporting an abnormality to air traffic control.
No damage to nearby ships or facilities has been reported.
The ASDF is investigating the cause of the crash.
The pilot had approximately 1,000 hours of total flight time. No abnormalities were found during the pre-takeoff inspection.
In response to the accident, the ASDF decided to suspend F-2 training flights for the time being, except for some aircraft involved in measures against airspace violations.
In May, a T-4 trainer aircraft of the ASDF crashed into a lake in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, resulting in the deaths of two crew members.
The ASDF chief of staff said in the press conference, "While we believe that safety measures are in place, the situation (surrounding the latest accident) is not fully known, and it is difficult to provide a definitive response at this time."
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
