Electronic extra edition: MV-22 Ospreys belonging to Futenma base resume full flight despite objections from Okinawa

Electronic extra edition: MV-22 Ospreys belonging to Futenma base resume full flight despite objections from Okinawa

An MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff-and-landing transport aircraft flew away from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City at 1:58 p.m. on December 19.


December 19, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan City took off the base and resumed the full flight operation at 1:58 p.m. on December 19. The MV-22 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft’s flight operations had been suspended after the crash at the coast of Abu, Nago City in the night of December 13.

An MV-22 Osprey, which had been parked at the Iejima auxiliary airfield of Ie Island, took off at 2:32 p.m. on December 19.

The U.S. military explained that the reason for resuming flight on July 19 was to return the Osprey, which was parked at the Iejima auxiliary airfield, to Futenma.

It was confirmed on the afternoon of December 18 that an MV-22 was parked at a helicopter-landing zone (helipad) near the landing zone “LHD deck” of the island.

The aircraft had been flying to Ie Island before the accident took place on December 13, but the date and reason for its operation have not been revealed.

It is confirmed that trucks were coming and going at the Iejima auxiliary airfield before noon on December 19 for resuming its flight.

The bulk of the wreckage remains without being able to recover at the crash scene of the aricraft.
In the situation that the recovery operation for the plane’s fuselage is not completed six days after the crash, resuming the flights of the MV-22s could fuel the prefectural people’s protest further.

At the Futenma base, an Osprey began rotating its propeller blades at about 1:43 p.m., and another 1:50 p.m. on the same day.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau officials conveyed the information on the resumption of the flights for the Osprey aircraft to the prefectural government and the concerned municipal offices, including Nago City on the morning of the same day.

(English translation by T&CT)

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