Members of the Japanese Coast Guard carry debris believed to be from the crashed U. S. Army Osprey plane into a port in Yakushima, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. Japanese and U. S. military divers have detected what could simply be the wreckage of a U. S. Air Force Osprey plane that crashed last week off southwestern Japan and several of the six team members are still missing, local media reported Monday. (Kyodo News AP)
TOKYO (AP) — Divers from the United States and Japan have discovered the wreckage and wreckage of five crew members of a U. S. Air Force Osprey jet that crashed last week in southwestern Japan, the Air Force said Monday.
The CV-22 Osprey carrying 8 Americans crashed last Wednesday off the island of Yakushima on an educational mission. The body of one of the victims was previously discovered and known.
The Air Force Special Operations Command said two of the five newly located remains have been recovered but their identities have yet to be determined. The joint U.S.-Japanese search operation is still working to recover the remains of three other crew members from the wreckage, it said.
The search continues for the other two people who are still missing, he said.
“The top priority is to get the airmen home and take care of their family members. Supporting and protecting the privacy of families and individuals affected by this incident remains AFSOC’s most sensible priority,” he said in a statement.
The U. S. military identified the victim as the Air Force staff sergeant. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield, Mass. , Saturday.
Japanese coast guard officials say the ocean is about 30 meters (100 feet) deep around the crash site.
The American-made Osprey is a hybrid plane that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like a plane flying.
Ospreys have suffered several twists of fate, including in Japan, where they are used in US and Japanese military bases, and the latest twist of fate has reignited concerns about their protection.
Japan has suspended all flights from its own fleet of 14 Ospreys. Japanese officials say they asked the U. S. military to resume Osprey flights after ensuring their safety. The Pentagon said no such formal request had been made and that the U. S. military continued to fly 24 MV-22s, the marine edition of the Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
On Sunday, wreckage recovered through the Japanese Coast Guard and local fishing boats was turned over to the U. S. military for examination, Coast Guard officials said. The Japanese military said the debris it collected would also be delivered to the United States.
Coast guard officials said the recovered pieces of wreckage include some parts of the aircraft and an inflatable life raft, but nothing related to the cause of the crash, such as an engine. Local witnesses reported seeing fire coming from one of the engines.
Local fishing boats contributed to the search efforts, abandoning their catches. Public broadcaster NHK said the Defense Ministry planned to cover the loss of profits and fuel.
Under the Japan-U. S. Status of Forces Agreement, the Japanese government has no right to seize or investigate U. S. military assets unless the U. S. decides otherwise. This means that it will practically be up to Japan to independently investigate the reasons for the accident.