TOKYO, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military helicopter on Wednesday made an emergency landing at an airport in southwestern Japan, the defense ministry here said.
The UH-1 turbo-equipped utility helicopter apparently made the emergency landing at Kumamoto airport to avoid what the defense ministry described as a serious accident.
The UH-1 was flying alongside an AH-1 attack chopper when it made the emergency landing. The AH-1 also touched down at Kumamoto airport, the ministry said.
No injuries were caused to the occupants of the helicopter or personnel on the ground as a result of the emergency landing, but rising instances of mishaps and accidents involving U.S. military aircraft have drawn staunch criticism from locals, municipal officials as well as the central government.
On March 29, A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) UH-1 chopper also made an emergency landing at Yonago airport in Tottori Prefecture, causing the runway to be closed for around two hours.
A similar incident involving a UH-1 helicopter occurred on Jan. 6 and involved the chopper making an emergency landing on a sandy beach on Ikei Island, in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture.
The U.S. Marine Corps said the emergency landing on the small islet was due to "indications of the main rotor moving at too high a speed."
The UH-1 transport helicopter touched down just 100 meters away from a residential house, renewing concerns and anger among locals in Okinawa about the safety of U.S. military hardware owing to the increasing frequency of potentially fatal mishaps and accidents recently.
Kumamoto airport, the site of the latest incident on Wednesday, is used by both civilian aircraft as well as Japanese Self-Defense Forces aircraft.
According to the ministry, the mishap did not affect regular operations at the airport.
