Japan grounds V-22 Osprey fleet after flight incident – Firstpost

Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after an incident on Sunday in which one aircraft unexpectedly overturned and hit the ground during takeoff.

The Osprey took part in the joint Keen Sword exercise with the US military and carried 16 passengers, including three US military personnel. During takeoff, the plane became unstable and swayed before the left wing and substructure made contact with the ground, causing damage and aborting the flight, Japan’s Ground Self Defense Forces said.

This was the first major incident involving Japan’s V-22 fleet since the US Air Force Osprey crash off the Japanese coast last November, which killed eight service members and led to a prolonged grounding of the fleet in both countries. Although operations resumed earlier this year, the Osprey’s presence remains controversial, especially in Okinawa where safety concerns among residents persist.

The Osprey was able to land in Sunday’s incident and no one was injured, but Japan will ground its fleet of more than a dozen V-22s while it investigates the incident, Defense Secretary Gen. Nakatani told reporters last week.

“We believe there is no safety problem with Ospreys, although ensuring flight safety is a prerequisite for aircraft operations,” Nakatani said.

The Pentagon’s Joint V-22 Program Office is supporting Japan’s investigation into the incident, spokesman Neil Lobeda said Saturday.

The V-22 was active on the Japanese island of Yonaguni during the joint exercise Keen Sword. Yonaguni is located just 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Taiwan.

With input from authorities.