Photo/Illutration A KC-130 aerial refueling aircraft refuels fighter jets, including an FA-18, during a demonstration flight at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture in May 2018. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The practice of assigning pilots who performed poorly in training to a U.S. air base in Yamaguchi contributed to a deadly 2018 midair crash, according to a re-investigation report of the accident.

Some residents of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, which hosts the base, expressed resentment at the report prepared by the U.S. Marine Corps, saying the crash cannot be attributed merely to the assignment of personnel.

An FA-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 aerial refueling aircraft collided and crashed off the coast of Kochi Prefecture in December 2018, killing six crew members. Both aircraft belonged to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

The Defense Ministry’s Chugoku-Shikoku Defense Bureau explained the results of the re-investigation to the Iwakuni city government on Aug. 12.

According to the ministry, the U.S. Marine Corps determined in its report that the fighter jet hit the aerial refueling aircraft because it lost sight of the refueling aircraft after another FA-18 fighter jet flying nearby blinded the pilot with its lights.

The report also analyzed institutional factors that led to the accident. It pointed out that many pilots who performed poorly during their training and had never been on duty were dispatched to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, compared to those in units stationed in the U.S. mainland.

Only a few pilots at the Iwakuni base were certified to have the necessary skills to engage in training exercises, even among those who had been on duty more than once, the report said.

The report, however, concluded that the accident could not have been prevented even after eliminating such factors. It said that the U.S. Marine Corps will assign more skilled personnel to their first duty at the base as pilots as one measure to prevent future accidents.

The U.S. Marine Corps released the results of its probe into the accident in September 2019, but the U.S. military decided to re-investigate, saying the initial investigation fails to accurately grasp the entire picture of the accident.

After being briefed on the results of the re-investigation, Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda asked the Defense Ministry to continue monitoring the progress on improvements made by the U.S. military.

A Defense Ministry official also visited the Yamaguchi prefectural government's building on Aug. 12 to explain the results of the re-investigation.

Akihiro Fujita, director of the general affairs department of the prefectural government, told reporters after meeting with the official, “We want the central government to take responsibility for keeping tabs on the progress on improvements made by the U.S. military.”

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