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Military plane crashes off western Japan |
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June 29, 2000
TOKYO
(AP) - A Japanese military plane carrying five Air Self-Defense
Force soldiers crashed into the sea Wednesday while on a test flight off
Japan's western coast, officials said.
The agency and the Coast Guard sent eight planes and 11 patrol vessels to the crash site in the Sea of Japan, but none of the C-1 transport plane's crew members have been found, he said. The plane lost contact with air force officials Wednesday afternoon about 30 minutes after leaving the Miho Base, about 580 kilometers (360 miles) northwest of Tokyo, Defense Agency spokesman Susumu Umeda said. Hours later, rescuers recovered metal parts and life vests from the aircraft, said another agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The C-1 plane went missing in thick cloud cover about 110 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the base. It was to perform a 90-minute test flight within the military's aviation training area after a regular inspection, the other official said. The cause of the crash was not yet known, he said. |