Okinawa residents outraged over Marine aircraft crash; Osprey air operations suspended in Japan

Residents of Okinawa voiced shock and outrage Wednesday after a U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey crash-landed in the sea off the southern Japan island prefecture the night before.

The first major accident involving the tilt-rotor transport aircraft in Japan reinforced a view held by many locals that the aircraft is accident-prone.

It also increased their resentment toward the central government for forcing the prefecture to continue bearing the heavy burden of hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, according to Kyodo News.

“I only have anger,” a senior official of the city of Nago said.

“This kind of accident occurs because the Japanese government overloads Okinawa with bases. I wonder how much longer the state will continue to avoid looking at Okinawa’s situation,” the official said.

The relocation plan has been at the heart of political and legal wrangling between the state and the prefectural governments as the latter seeks to relocate the base outside the prefecture.

Officers of Okinawa Prefectural Police and U.S. military investigate the site where debris of a U.S. military MV-22 Osprey, background, was spotted in shallow waters off Nago, Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, after its crash-landing. The MV-22 Osprey, tilt-rotor aircraft deployed in Japan, crash-landed off Okinawa island late Tuesday, but all its five crew members were safely rescued. (Takumi Sato/Kyodo News via AP)

The accident is “really outrageous,” Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga told reporters.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force on Thursday said MV-22 Osprey operations are suspended in Japan after a crash off the coast of Okinawa.

Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said the MV-22 Osprey’s rotor blade struck a refueling line while conducting an aerial refueling operation.

Wreckage of a U.S. military MV-22 Osprey is seen in shallow waters off Nago, Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, after its crash-landing. The MV-22 Osprey, tilt-rotor aircraft deployed in Japan, crash-landed off Okinawa island late Tuesday, but all its five crew members were safely rescued. (Ryukyu Shimpo/Kyodo News via AP)

“After the aircraft was unhooking, it was shaking violently,” Nicholson said during a press conference on Wednesday. “The pilot made a decision to not fly over Okinawan homes and families. He made a conscious decision to try to reach Camp Schwab … and land in the shallow water to protect his crew and the people of Okinawa.”

Nicholson said two crew members were hospitalized.

Nicholson said he made the decision to temporarily halt MV-22 Osprey operations under U.S. Marine Forces Japan until he is “satisfied that we have reviewed our checklists and safety of flight procedures.”

All rights reserved. The content of this webpage may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of Bright Mountain Media, Inc. which may be contacted at info@brightmountainmedia.com, ticker BMTM.

Post navigation