NAHA, Japan – A U.S. military UH-1 helicopter made an emergency landing at a baseball field in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday night while a youth team was practicing there, in what could have been a serious accident.
The First Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa said Saturday that a warning indicator appeared in the aircraft during routine training, prompting the landing. It said no one was injured and the helicopter was not damaged.
The wing said the helicopter belongs to the Third Marine Aircraft Wing, which is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in the U.S. state of California. It added the decision to land at an alternate site prioritized crew and local community safety.
The Japanese Defense Ministry’s Okinawa bureau told the prefecture, citing the U.S. side, that the helicopter was not carrying hazardous materials or weapons.
The helicopter landed at 8:16 p.m. on Friday and took off shortly after 10:40 p.m. following inspections, returning to the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.
In waters off Nago, a U.S. Marine Corps Osprey transport aircraft made an emergency landing in December 2016 and was heavily damaged.
AloJapan.com