Second Japan pilot confirmed dead after army helicopter crash
TOKYO: Japanese authorities confirmed yesterday that a second pilot was killed in a military helicopter crash a day earlier, after identifying a body part retrieved from near the crash site in the country’s southwest.
The Apache helicopter crashed Monday in a residential area in Saga province, with authorities initially saying co-pilot Hiroki Takayama had been killed and lead pilot Kenichi Saito was missing.
But the defence ministry confirmed yesterday that Saito had also been killed in the crash after identifying a body part found by rescue workers.
“The body part is now identified at local police as the pilot,” a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.
The helicopter crashed in seven minutes after takeoff, slamming into and setting on fire a house that was completely destroyed in the accident. An 11-year-old girl was in the house at the time, but survived with minor injuries.
Video footage captured by a camera in a nearby car showed the helicopter dropping from the sky almost vertically, with its nose pointing directly towards the ground.
The crash site was just 300 metres from a local elementary school and sent a thick plume of grey smoke rising from in between the rooftops of local houses.
The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was conducting a test flight after routine maintenance at the time of the accident, and had taken off from a Self-Defence Forces (SDF) base, according to the defence ministry.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government would investigate the incident.
“It is very regrettable that the Self-Defence Forces, which should protect the people’s lives and peaceful living, threatened their safety and caused tremendous damage,” he told a parliamentary session. “I apologise sincerely,” Abe added. The defence ministry said it has suspended the flight of all 12 of its AH-64 helicopters for inspections.— AFP