Two crew feared dead after ASDF training jet crashes in Aichi

Japan Times

15-05-2025

A search continued Thursday for an Air Self-Defense Force training aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff from an ASDF base in Aichi Prefecture a day earlier, with the jet's two crew members feared dead.
Aerial, underwater and ground searches at the crash site — a large reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture — have recovered pieces of the T-4 training aircraft and some of the crew's equipment, including part of a helmet, Defense Ministry officials said. Oil slicks had earlier been spotted floating on the surface of the reservoir.
The aircraft, which was bound for Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, had taken off from Komaki Air Base in the city of Komaki on Wednesday afternoon, disappearing from radar just two minutes after departing the base, according to the officials.
No abnormalities had been detected in the aircraft during preflight screenings, according to ASDF officials. However, the aircraft — which was built in 1989 — was not equipped with a flight data recorder or voice recorder. The Defense Ministry said it has formed a committee to probe the crash, but the lack of a recorder could complicate the investigation.
Witnesses near the crash site said they had seen something resembling sparks emanating from the jet, followed by a loud boom when it crashed, local media reported.
SDF personnel carry apparent parts of the T-4 training jet recovered from a reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefeture, on Thursday. |
JIJI
"At this point, the cause of the crash is unknown, but we will continue to make every effort to rescue any survivors," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters Wednesday evening.
ASDF helicopters, as well as local police and fire department officials, were combing the area Thursday for Capt. Takuji Ioka, 31, and 1st Lt. Shota Amaya, 29, according to defense officials. Amaya had been sitting in the front seat, where the pilot typically sits, and was believed to have been flying the plane.
Speaking at a news conference late Wednesday, ASDF Chief of Staff Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura said that Ioka had accrued some 1,170 flight hours, while Amaya had built up about 480 hours of flight time.
"The captain has over 1,000 hours, so he can be considered a veteran or midlevel,' Uchikura said. 'The first lieutenant is somewhere between beginner and midlevel. Both of them are qualified to fly the T4 trainer."
An ASDF T-4 training aircraft. The jet that crashed on Wednesday was not equipped with a flight recorder or voice recorder. |
JIJI
The T-4 aircraft, which is manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and has been in service for nearly 40 years, was not equipped with a flight recorder or voice recorder, Uchikura added.
In addition to its training role, the T-4 is also used by the ASDF's Blue Impulse aerobatic team.
Self-Defense Forces aircraft have been involved a series of accidents in recent years.
In April last year, two Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K helicopters collided during nighttime training off a remote island near Tokyo, leaving all eight aboard both choppers dead.
That accident happened almost exactly a year after a Ground Self-Defense Force UH60 helicopter crashed off the coast of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, killing all 10 aboard, including the commander of the GSDF's Kumamoto-based 8th Division.