THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 15, 2025 at 16:05 JST
Crew of an Air Self-Defense Force jet believed to have crashed in a pond in Aichi Prefecture on May 14 did not report abnormalities or eject from the aircraft, Defense Ministry sources said.
Rescue workers on May 15 continued the search for the two pilots at Irukaike pond in Inuyama.
Aircraft fragments, survival equipment and other items have been found in and around the pond.
The T-4 trainer aircraft, which took off from the Komaki Air Base in the prefecture at 3:06 p.m., disappeared off radar two minutes later.
According to Defense Ministry sources, there are no records showing that the pilots, Capt. Takuji Ioka and 1st Lt. Shota Amitani, reported an abnormal situation or ejected.
Ioka, 31, and Amitani, 29, are both based at the Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture.
The T-4 was on the planned route to Irukaike pond, but it may have encountered trouble immediately after takeoff, the sources said.
The aircraft, built in 1989, was not equipped with a flight data recorder.
The ASDF has grounded its fleet of nearly 200 T-4s until safety measures are taken.
SDF members on May 15 were looking for the pilots from aircraft and boats as well as on the ground.
About 70 Aichi prefectural police officers and 16 members of the Inuyama fire department have joined the search.
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A Self-Defense Forces aircraft searches for missing pilots of a T-4 jet trainer aircraft over Irukaike pond in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, on May 15. (Tatsuo Kanai)
