A T-4 training aircraft crashed in Japan

A T-4 training aircraft belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force crashed after takeoff.

Fuji News Network reported on this.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the T-4 training aircraft lost contact with the base immediately after takeoff on May 14, at around 3:00 p.m. local time.

Subsequently, the local police station in Komaki (Aichi Prefecture), where the air base of the same name is located, started receiving calls about a possible plane crash into a lake in the Iruka area, Inuyama City.

Upon arrival, police found debris from the aircraft and traces of fuel. Law enforcement officials are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident and reassuring local residents.

At the time of takeoff from Komaki Air Base, there were two crew members on board the aircraft. The plane took off from Komaki Air Base in Komaki City (Aichi Prefecture) bound for Nyutabar Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture. It disappeared from radar approximately 10 km northeast of Komaki Air Base, near Lake Iruka.

The crashed aircraft was a Kawasaki T-4 training aircraft with tail number 96-5625 and serial number 1025 belonging to the 305th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

The search for the pilots is ongoing. However, local residents did not report seeing any parachutes in the air during the crash, which may indicate that the pilots deliberately crashed the aircraft into the lake, as far away from buildings as possible.

It should be noted that Kawasaki T-4 training aircraft currently form the backbone of Japan’s training aviation. The Air Self-Defense Force has 195 such aircraft in service, which are actively used both for advanced training of cadets and for maintaining the flying skills of combat pilots.

Despite intensive use, accidents involving aircraft of this type are extremely rare. The last incident was recorded on July 4, 2000, when two T-4s collided midair during flights. Three pilots were killed in the accident.

Militarnyi previously reported that an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in Finland. The pilot managed to eject.

According to preliminary data, the plane crashed within a military zone. The pilot, who used the ejection seat, was taken for additional medical examination.