JAKARTA - The United States military announced it was temporarily halting the operations of the entire Osprey V-22 aircraft fleet, following a deadly accident that occurred off the coast of Japan last week while attending routine exercises.
The CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor military aircraft from the 353rd Special Operations Wing of the US Air Force based at Yokota Air Base, western Tokyo, disappeared from radar and crashed on November 29. The eight crew members were declared dead.
Speaking at the National Security Committee of the Lower House on Thursday, Japanese Defense Minister Minuru Kihara said Japan would urge the United States to investigate the cause of Osprey's latest crash, quoted from Kyodo News December 7.
Minister Kihara also said he believed the United States would share "as detailed information as possible" with Japan.
Citing the BBC, at the time of the crash, the Osprey plane was on a training flight from the US Marine Corps airbase in Yamaguchi Prefecture and was heading to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
Witnesses said the plane capsized and caught fire before crashing off the coast. Six bodies have been found from eight victims who died in the accident.
"The honorable dedication of these eight carriers to this great country will never be forgotten, because they are now among the giants who have shaped our history," said Air Force Special Operations Command Commander Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind.
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It said the operational shutdown would provide "time and space for a thorough investigation, in order to determine the factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force's CV-22 fleet resumes operations."
"Information on the initial investigation shows the potential for material failure that caused the accident. However, the main cause of the failure is not known at this time," said the US Air Force Special Operations Command.
The Naval Air System Command, which is responsible for variants of the Marine Corps and the Osprey Navy, separately said it had prohibited all aircraft flying, to implement more risk mitigation controls.
Japan itself is the only country other than Uncle Sam's country known to operate Osprey, which operates both as helicopters and planes with propellers. After the accident, Japan also deployed its entire Osprey fleet of 14 units.
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