2015.01.19
Marine helicopter drops hardware into ocean
Three pieces of military equipment fell into the ocean from an MCAS Futenma based Marine helicopter on Jan. 15th.
According to the Okinawa Defense Bureau report to the Okinawa Prefecture Government and related local governments on Jan. 16th, an AH1W Super Cobra attack helicopter based on MCAS Futenma dropped three different pieces of military equipment into the ocean while flying in the area southwest of Tonaki Island about 17:30 on the previous day.
The fallen items were listed as a missile weighing about 109 kg, a 65-kg missile pod and a 34-kg fuel tank. The total weigh of the three is about 208 kg. No damage nor any injury has been reported.
According to the Marine officials, the missile launcher was unloaded and the fuel tank was empty. The Okinawa Prefectural Government, Tonaki Village and Ginowan City have issued a strongly worded call to the U.S. Marine officials calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident and improved safety management.