2 Ospreys make emergency landing at Ishigaki airport, runway temporarily closed

2 Ospreys make emergency landing at Ishigaki airport, runway temporarily closed

An MV-22 aircraft is moved to a parking lot after its emergency landing at around 5:40 p.m. on September 29 at Ishigaki Airport


September 30, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

At around 2 p.m. on September 29, two MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the U.S. military’s Futenma air base made an emergency landing at Ishigaki Airport.

According to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the cockpit indicator in one of the two Ospreys suggested a possible problem.

 

The aircraft appeared to suffer engine trouble. There seemed to be no abnormality in the other aircraft.

 

It is the first time an MV-22 Osprey aircraft has made an emergency landing at a civilian airport in Okinawa.

The Okinawa Prefectural Government requested the Okinawa Defense Bureau stop the flight of Osprey and take measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents until the cause is investigated.

 

Accidents involving MV-22 Osprey aircraft are occurring one after another. An Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base caused a fatal accident in August when it crashed off the coast of Australia.

Since then, Osprey aircraft made emergency landings at the Iejima auxiliary airfield and Oita airport.

According to the Ishigaki Airport Management Office, it received a notification that the MV-22 Ospreys involved in the recent incident would make an emergency landing due to a problem picked up just before it landed.

 

The two Osprey aircraft landed at the airport at 4:57 p.m. and 4:59 p.m respectively.

 

After that, the two aircraft were moved to a parking lot.

The airport closed its runway for 36 minutes from 5:11 p.m. due to this incident.

A Japan Transocean Air (JTA)’s flight from Haneda to Ishigaki changed its destination to Miyako Airport.

 

The flight arrived at Ishigaki Airport about an hour and a half after refueling at Miyako Airport.

The emergency landing affected the 1085 passengers of 14 departure and arrival flights.

 

The Okinawa Defense Bureau received a notification from the U.S. military that it had made a preventive landing in accordance with normal procedures because a warning light on one of the two aircraft had lit up on a journey to the Phillippines.

 

Meanwhile, according to the prefecture, oil seemed to have leaked from the right engine of the aircraft signalling a possible problem.

 

(English translation by T&CT)

 

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