Two Japanese navy helicopters crash during training in the Pacific Ocean

Asia-Pacific, News April 22, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo on April 21, 2024, possibly due to a collision. The defense minister announced that one person died in the incident, while search and rescue efforts were underway for the seven others who were missing.

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters that two SH-60K helicopters from the Maritime Self-Defense Force, each carrying four crew members, lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island, approximately 600 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean.

The cause of the crash was not immediately determined, but officials believe the two helicopters “highly likely” collided before crashing into the water, Kihara said.

Kihara stated that rescuers retrieved a flight data recorder, a blade from each helicopter, and fragments believed to be from both aircraft in the same vicinity, indicating that the two SH-60Ks were flying near each other.

The search and rescue operations for the missing crew were started immediately after the contact was lost with the two helicopters. The search operation involves 12 warships and seven aircraft from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces. Additionally, Japan Coast Guard patrol boats and planes joined the operation. So far, only one body of a deceased crew member has been found while seven crew members remain missing.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's SH-60K helicopter — *^{Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s SH-60K aboard a helicopter carrier. (Image Credit: Donavan K. Patubo/via Twitter)}*

The two helicopters were engaged in nighttime anti-submarine training. One helicopter lost contact at 10:38 p.m. and subsequently transmitted an automatic emergency signal one minute later. One signal, called an emergency locator transmitter, was heard around the time of the crash indicating that the two helicopters were near the same place because their signals use the same frequency and could not be differentiated, Kihara said.

Chief of Staff of the Japanese Navy, Admiral Ryo Sakai, said that the SH-60 helicopters were on a training mission. He added that further training for a similar helicopter was immediately suspended following the crash. All the SH-60 helicopters would remain grounded until the cause of the crash is determined and preventive are adopted

The twin-engine, multi-mission helicopters, originally designed by Sikorsky and referred to as Seahawks, were adapted and manufactured in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Japan has about 70 of the modified helicopters.

In 2017, a Japanese navy SH-60J, an earlier model of the Seahawk, crashed during nighttime training due to human error, resulting in the deaths of three crew members. In July 2021, two SH-60 helicopters experienced a minor collision off the southern island of Amamioshima, resulting in damage to both rotor blades but causing no injuries. Following the collision in 2021, the Navy implemented a series of preventive measures aimed at maintaining sufficient distance between aircraft.