How many people were on board the V-22 Osprey? U.S. Military aircraft crashes into ocean in Japan

On Wednesday, November 29, a U.S. military aircraft crash-landed near a West Japan island. The Japanese coastguard confirmed that aircraft and patrol boats were being sent to the crash site of the military V-22 Osprey aircraft off the coast of the country's Yakushima island. The initial claim was that eight people were on board the military aircraft. This was later revised to 6 by the Coast Guard.

Very little information is available regarding the condition of the aircraft or the operation being conducted. Four people were reportedly found by the Japanese coastguard and fishing boats. One person passed away. This is not the first U.S. military aircraft crash or the first U.S. Osprey crash of this year. In August 2023, one crashed off the coast of Australia, killing three marines in the process.

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One person dies in horrific U.S. military aircraft crash

Tragedy struck on Wednesday when a U.S. military aircraft, V-22 Osprey, crashed near the coast of a West Japanese island. According to Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, at 2.40 pm, the aircraft disappeared from the radar, and the crash happened at around 2.47 pm local time. The accident occurred near the area of the island's airport.

The flight, according to initial reports, carried eight people. However, CBS News reported that the figure was revised to six by the Japanese Coast Guard. According to witness reports from Japanese media, the left engine of the flight seemed to have been on fire during its descent. The Japanese Coast Guard confirmed that aircraft and patrol boats were being sent from Yakushima island.

In the latest update on the status of the operations, Reuters confirmed that four passengers were recovered from the crash. Japanese Coast Guard confirmed that they had found the wreckage of the aircraft along with one "non-responsive" passenger 3km from the island. The passenger was later confirmed dead.

A local fisheries cooperative spokesperson said that three passengers were found in the waters surrounding the U.S. military aircraft crash. The condition of these people remains unknown.

CBS News also cited a TBS report saying that one person was found alive by local volunteer rescuers. The person was, however, unconscious. The Japanese media outlet NHK stated, according to sources from the defense ministry, that the crashed aircraft was from the US Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.

NHK reported that the U.S. military aircraft had reportedly left the "US Marine Corps' Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture" and was on course towards the Okinawa Prefecture's U.S. Kadena Air Base. However, the flight changed directions to the Yakushima Airport at Yakushima Island for unspecified reasons and crash-landed while on its journey there.

According to the official Boeing website, the V-22 Osprey is a "joint service multirole combat aircraft." The hybrid aircraft combines a helicopter's "vertical performance" and a fixed-wing aircraft's "speed and range." The website further states:

"With its rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, it can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight."

A US Osprey had previously crashed in August 2023 off the coast of Northern Australia. The aircraft was on a routine joint-nation training exercise when the MV-22B Osprey, carrying 23 Marines, crashed into Australia's Melville Island. The crash, which took the lives of three marines and injured 20, prompted questions about the safety of the Osprey.

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