I. M. Esperto
21st May 2003, 23:39
4 crewmembers die when MSDF plane crashes during take-off
IWAKUNI, Yamaguchi -- A Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) jet crashed at a base here as it was about to take off during a training flight Wednesday morning, killing all the four crewmembers, MSDF officials said.
The four victims have been identified as captain Masanori Hasegawa, 27, co-pilot Shoichi Miura, 25, navigator Hajime Kawabe, 52, and navigator Takuto Honda, 20.
The U-36A training aircraft was on a so-called "touch-and-go" landing and takeoff training flight when the accident occurred at around 11:25 a.m., the officials said.
The jet took off from Iwakuni base at 9 a.m., and after completing an ordinary training exercise above the Sea of Japan, it returned to the area around Iwakuni base for landing and takeoff training. It landed on the runway and immediately attempted to take off when it rolled over and burst into flames.
The aircraft was badly damaged, and the four crewmembers were rushed to hospital where they were pronounced dead. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, May 21, 2003)
IWAKUNI, Yamaguchi -- A Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) jet crashed at a base here as it was about to take off during a training flight Wednesday morning, killing all the four crewmembers, MSDF officials said.
The four victims have been identified as captain Masanori Hasegawa, 27, co-pilot Shoichi Miura, 25, navigator Hajime Kawabe, 52, and navigator Takuto Honda, 20.
The U-36A training aircraft was on a so-called "touch-and-go" landing and takeoff training flight when the accident occurred at around 11:25 a.m., the officials said.
The jet took off from Iwakuni base at 9 a.m., and after completing an ordinary training exercise above the Sea of Japan, it returned to the area around Iwakuni base for landing and takeoff training. It landed on the runway and immediately attempted to take off when it rolled over and burst into flames.
The aircraft was badly damaged, and the four crewmembers were rushed to hospital where they were pronounced dead. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, May 21, 2003)