Japan grounds V-22 Osprey fleet after flight incident

Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after an incident last Sunday, in which one aircraft tipped unexpectedly and struck the ground during takeoff.

The Osprey was participating in the Keen Sword joint exercise with the U.S. military and was carrying 16 passengers, including three U.S. service members. During takeoff, the aircraft became unstable, swaying before its left wing and lower structure made contact with the ground, causing damage and aborting the flight, according to Japan’s Ground Self Defense Forces.

This was the first significant incident with Japan’s V-22 fleet since a US Air Force Osprey crash last November off Japan’s coast, which killed eight service members and led to a prolonged grounding of the fleet in both countries. Although operations resumed earlier this year, the Osprey’s presence remains controversial, especially in Okinawa, where safety concerns persist among residents.

The Osprey in last Sunday’s incident was able to land and no one was injured, however Japan will keep its fleet of more than a dozen V-22s grounded while it investigates the incident, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters last week.

“We believe there is no safety problem with Ospreys, although ensuring flight safety is a prerequisite for aircraft operations,” Nakatani said.

The Pentagon’s V-22 joint program office is supporting Japan’s investigation into the incident, spokesman Neil Lobeda said Saturday.

The V-22 was operating on the Japanese island of Yonaguni during the joint exercise Keen Sword. Yonaguni is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Taiwan.

With inputs from agencies.