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The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has grounded its fleet of Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys following a hard landing incident.
The Japan Defense Ministry Joint Staff says the incident took place on the country’s Yonaguni Island on Oct. 27. The V-22 was participating in Exercise Keen Sword, a joint wargame with the U.S. military, where it was transporting military personnel simulating a medical evacuation.
While taking off, the aircraft became unstable and started to shake left and right. The bottom left wing made contact with the ground, resulting in damage to the aircraft. The aircraft still took off but then landed in a nearby field.
None of the 16 people onboard were injured.
JGSDF tells Aviation Week that the extent of the damage is currently under investigation, but confirmed there was a “certain amount of damage to the lower left wing.”
U.S. and Japanese crew were set to jointly operate the Osprey in Keen Sword, but it is not clear if the two militaries were doing so when the incident occurred. The JGSDF did not immediately respond to further queries.
Japan is the first export customer of the tiltrotor aircraft with 17 in service, according to Aviation Week Network’s Military Fleet Discovery. The V-22s were acquired as part of the Japanese military’s desire to attain quick response capabilities to deploy troops and assets, especially to its south island chains.
Situated east of Taiwan, Yonaguni Island is the one of the closest Japanese territories to the self-ruled island.
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