Sightseeing Helicopter Goes Missing in Kumamoto Pref.

Kumamoto, Jan. 20 (Jiji Press)–A sightseeing helicopter with three people on board for flight over Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, went missing Tuesday. Around 11:50 a.m., police received a report from an agency for Takumi Enterprise, the operator of the helicopter, that the chopper had not returned. A severely damaged aircraft-like object was found inside the crater of the volcano in the city of Aso shortly after 4 p.m., fire authorities said. According to the Kumamoto prefectural police department and Takumi Enterprise, based in the western Japan city of Okayama, the three on board the helicopter were the pilot in his 60s and two people believed to be from Taiwan–a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s. The pilot is a veteran with decades of flight experience and an instructor background. The helicopter took off from Aso Cuddly Dominion, a sightseeing facility in the city of Aso, shortly before 11 a.m. and was scheduled to return to the facility after a flight of about 10 minutes over the crater of Mount Aso. This was the helicopter’s third flight of the day. According to the Kumamoto prefectural police, fire authorities received an emergency report at 11:04 a.m., apparently from a passenger, through a smartphone function that reacts to a strong impact. The helicopter’s GPS signal was lost near the mountain’s crater. Following the incident, Takumi Enterprise grounded all of its helicopters. In 2024, a Takumi Enterprise helicopter made an unscheduled landing after its engine output dropped while the aircraft was flying over Mount Aso, with people on board, including the pilot, suffering injuries such as bone fracture. Aso Cuddly Dominion is a theme park complex that offers scenic flights as part of its services. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]