By DAISUKE YAJIMA/ Staff Writer
March 13, 2025 at 14:20 JST
An SH60K patrol helicopter on the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Izumo destroyer off Darwin, Australia, on Aug. 15, 2023 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The airframes of two Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopters that collided and crashed in the Pacific Ocean in April last year have been recovered, MSDF officials announced on March 12.
The wreckage of the two helicopters was found on the seabed at a depth of about 5,500 meters off the Izu island chain, south of Tokyo.
The MSDF contracted with the U.S. Navy through a Foreign Military Sales agreement to conduct the salvage operation.
The salvage vessel arrived at the site on March 8, deploying an unmanned underwater vehicle to attach wires to the airframes. Both helicopters were retrieved by March 12.
One crew member's body was recovered immediately after the accident. The Defense Ministry later determined that all seven missing crew members had also died.
During the salvage operation, the remains of several bodies were found inside and outside the helicopters, and some may have been recovered, according to the MSDF.
The two aircraft collided in mid-air on the evening of April 20 during a training exercise to detect submarines.
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