2023 Miyakojima helicopter crash
The 2023 Miyakojima helicopter crash was an aircraft accident that occurred on April 6, 2023, when a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi UH-60JA helicopter carrying 10 people, including the commander of the 8th Division, LTG Yuichi Sakamoto, went missing off the coast of Miyako-jima in Okinawa, Japan.
The UH-60JA aircraft that was involved in this incident, photographed in 2009. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 6, 2023 |
| Summary | Helicopter crash, under investigation |
| Site | Off the coast of Miyako-jima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Mitsubishi UH-60JA |
| Operator | Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) |
| Registration | JG-3106 |
| Flight origin | JASDF Miyakojima Sub Base |
| Destination | JASDF Miyakojima Sub Base |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The helicopter, which belonged to the 8th Aviation Squadron of the 8th Division, departed the Miyakojima Sub Base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to conduct terrain reconnaissance of the island, with Lt. Gen. Sakamoto and Col. Masaichi Iyoda, commander of JGSDF Camp Miyakojima, among the 10 personnel on board. The helicopter vanished from radar at about 18 km (approx. 11 miles) northwest, just two minutes after making contact with air traffic control at Shimojishima Airport.