ID :
134667
Mon, 07/26/2010 - 08:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/134667
The shortlink copeid
5 killed in rescue helicopter crash on mountain in Saitama+
SAITAMA, Japan, July 25 Kyodo - A rescue helicopter belonging to the Saitama prefectural government crashed Sunday on a mountain in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, killing five of the seven people aboard, police said.
The two others aboard were confirmed safe, with one suffering bruising to his
hand, according to the police.
The Japan Transport Safety Board, under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, will dispatch three officials to the accident site to
investigate the circumstances and cause of the fatal crash.
The five people who died were pilot Akira Matsumoto, 54, co-pilot Shinichi
Nishikawa, 32, two aviation security officers of the prefectural government,
Yoshimasa Nakagomi, 42, and Kenichi Tobari, 32, and Atsushi Osawa, 33, a rescue
worker from a local fire department.
The helicopter for disaster prevention, deployed in the prefecture in May 2006,
was on a mission to rescue a member of a climbing party on the mountain when it
crashed around 11:10 a.m., the police said.
The chopper went down after lowering rescue workers to the ground to retrieve
the 55-year-old female climber who fell into a waterfall basin on the mountain.
The woman was later confirmed dead, according to local officials.
The helicopter was heading to rescue the climber after departing from the
prefecture's aviation disaster prevention center in Kawajima and landing at a
park neighboring the accident site to pick up two workers from the local fire
department.
The prefectural government said the chopper was flown by pilots from Honda
Airways Co., adding that the 14-meter long, 13-seat helicopter was an AS365
model made by Eurocopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of European Aeronautic,
Defense and Space Co.
According to Honda Airways, Matsumoto was an experienced pilot who had worked
for the company for more than 20 years.
There was no noticeable rain or wind in the area around Chichibu when the
accident took place, though an advisory for heavy rain and lightning had been
issued, according to the Kumagaya Local Meteorological Observatory.
==Kyodo
The two others aboard were confirmed safe, with one suffering bruising to his
hand, according to the police.
The Japan Transport Safety Board, under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, will dispatch three officials to the accident site to
investigate the circumstances and cause of the fatal crash.
The five people who died were pilot Akira Matsumoto, 54, co-pilot Shinichi
Nishikawa, 32, two aviation security officers of the prefectural government,
Yoshimasa Nakagomi, 42, and Kenichi Tobari, 32, and Atsushi Osawa, 33, a rescue
worker from a local fire department.
The helicopter for disaster prevention, deployed in the prefecture in May 2006,
was on a mission to rescue a member of a climbing party on the mountain when it
crashed around 11:10 a.m., the police said.
The chopper went down after lowering rescue workers to the ground to retrieve
the 55-year-old female climber who fell into a waterfall basin on the mountain.
The woman was later confirmed dead, according to local officials.
The helicopter was heading to rescue the climber after departing from the
prefecture's aviation disaster prevention center in Kawajima and landing at a
park neighboring the accident site to pick up two workers from the local fire
department.
The prefectural government said the chopper was flown by pilots from Honda
Airways Co., adding that the 14-meter long, 13-seat helicopter was an AS365
model made by Eurocopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of European Aeronautic,
Defense and Space Co.
According to Honda Airways, Matsumoto was an experienced pilot who had worked
for the company for more than 20 years.
There was no noticeable rain or wind in the area around Chichibu when the
accident took place, though an advisory for heavy rain and lightning had been
issued, according to the Kumagaya Local Meteorological Observatory.
==Kyodo
