TOKYO– An initial analysis of flight data recorders recovered from the crash of two Japanese navy helicopters showed no signs of mechanical problems, Japan’s defense minister said Monday, indicating likely human error. One of the eight crew members died and the search for the other seven continues.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said an initial analysis of data from each helicopter’s two flight data recorders showed no anomalies during the flight and that a mechanical failure was most likely not the cause of the crash. .
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s two SH-60K reconnaissance helicopters lost contact Saturday night during nighttime anti-submarine training near Torishima Island, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo, officials said.
A crew member who was recovered from the water early Sunday was later pronounced dead. Searches continued on Monday for the seven missing people, along with the fuselage of the plane. The seabed at the crash site, east of Torishima, is about 5.5 kilometers (3.4 mi) deep and recovery is considered a challenge.
Authorities believe the two helicopters probably got too close and collided, Kihara said.
The flight data recorders from the two planes were found close together, along with a blade from each helicopter, several hulls and fragments believed to be from both planes, signs that the two SH-60Ks crashed almost at the same time. place, authorities said.
The twin-engine multi-mission helicopters developed by Sikorsky and known as Seahawks were modified and produced in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Japan has about 70 modified Seahawks.
The accident comes as Japan, under its 2022 security strategy, accelerates its military development and strengthens its defenses on Japan’s southwestern islands in the Pacific and East China Sea to counter threats from Japan’s increasingly assertive military. China. In recent years, Japan has held its own extensive naval exercises as well as joint drills with the United States and other partners.
Saturday’s nighttime anti-submarine warfare training involved only the Japanese navy, Navy Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai said.
In 2017, a Japanese Navy SH-60J, an older generation Seahawk, crashed during night training due to human error, killing three crew members. In July 2021, two SH-60s had a minor collision off the southern island of Amami Oshima, with both sustaining blade damage but causing no injuries.
Following the 2021 collision, the navy introduced a series of measures aimed at ensuring sufficient distance between aircraft. Sakai said Saturday’s accident could have been avoided if all safety measures had been properly followed.
In the United States, the fatal crash of an MH-60S Seahawk during training off the coast of California in 2021 was attributed to mechanical failure due to unexpected damage during maintenance, according to the US Navy.