TOKYO – A US military helicopter made an emergency crash landing in a rice paddy south-west of Tokyo on Aug 3, national broadcaster NHK reported. The incident occurred just before 11am local time (10am in Singapore) in Kanagawa prefecture, which neighbors the capital city.
The helicopter, which had Navy markings and a crew of 12, experienced engine trouble, according to initial reports. Remarkably, there were no injuries or significant damage reported from the crash. About an hour and 40 minutes later, the helicopter managed to take off again.
The US military has yet to provide further details beyond attributing the incident to engine trouble. Calls to the US Navy in Japan seeking additional comments were not answered.