This is a developing story and will be updated.
Search-and-rescue operations are underway for the crew of an Air Force Osprey that crashed off the coast of a Japanese island Wednesday.
A statement from Air Force Special Operations Command said the CV-22B Osprey, assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing, was on a training mission off the shore of Yakushima Island with eight airmen aboard.
“Emergency personnel are on scene conducting search-and-rescue operations,” Air Force Special Operations Command said Wednesday morning. “The cause of the mishap is currently unknown.”
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The Associated Press in Tokyo reported that a crew member who was recovered from the ocean had been pronounced dead, but U.S. officials did not immediately confirm that information Wednesday. Military.com has a policy to withhold the names of those who die while serving until their families have been notified, but the publication was unable to confirm the AP’s reporting of a fatality ahead of publication.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense posted on X that it is assisting in recovery and rescue efforts.
Wednesday’s crash marks the latest in a string of deadly Osprey accidents for the Air Force and Marine Corps as the military grapples with a long-standing mechanical issue on the aircraft.
A Marine Corps Osprey crashed in Australia in August,…
