Tokyo, 03 May, /AJMEDIA/
A major part of the wreckage including the flight recorder of a Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopter that went missing with 10 people aboard in April was hauled from the seabed Tuesday, a government source said.
A salvage company brought the wreckage up from 106 meters below the surface near Miyako Island in the southern prefecture of Okinawa.
The Ground Self-Defense Force will analyze data stored on the recorder such as altitude, speed and whether the helicopter was level to the ground in the lead-up to the crash to ascertain the cause of the accident, the source said.
The UH-60JA helicopter disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from a base on Miyako Island on April 6 at 3:46 p.m.
The GSDF will also examine the section of the aircraft recovered from the seabed, which is so extensively damaged as to be almost unrecognizable, it said.
The piece of wreckage was hauled up after being wrapped in a net by a remotely-operated underwater vehicle.
On Friday, vessels reached the area where the helicopter was found, with the investigation of the chopper and seabed starting the next day. The operation was subsequently delayed due to high seas, with preparations recommencing Monday.
Six bodies have been recovered from the site of the aircraft including that of Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, 55, commander of the GSDF’s 8th Division based in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The latest person to be recovered was brought to the surface on Monday. While it is not yet known if it is the same individual who was found and left on the seabed in April, the SDF is working to identify the person and the cause of death.
