Helicopter crashes in Hiroshima, pilot confirmed dead

A helicopter was found crashed in Hiroshima Prefecture on Aug. 15, and the pilot was confirmed dead after being taken to a hospital, prefectural police said.

Police said the helicopter was found crashed near the Oda River south of the Senyo Dam in the town of Jinsekikogen at about 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 15. A man was discovered near the wreckage and Hiroshima Prefectural Police identified him as the helicopter's 66-year-old pilot, Isao Tsuchida.

According to the transport ministry, an Aerospatiale AS350-B helicopter went missing after taking off from a temporary heliport in the Ehime Prefecture town of Kamijima at around 1:15 p.m. on Aug. 15, and authorities had been searching for it. According to flight plans, the helicopter was due to land at another temporary helipad in Jinsekikogen about 30 minutes later. Based on the helicopter's markings, police believe it is the one that crashed.

The flight plans stated that there was one person aboard, and the helicopter was carrying about two hours' worth of fuel. The purpose of the flight was listed as "internal company flight."

The Japan Transport Safety Board on Aug. 16 dispatched two aircraft accident investigators to the scene. The investigators were expected to reach the area near the Senyo Dam in the afternoon.

The helicopter was operated by the Jinsekikogen-based nonprofit organization Peace Winds Japan, which is involved in disaster rescues.

A 69-year-old Jinsekikogen resident appeared shocked by the accident. "I learned about the crash from the commotion with the search," she said. "Peace Winds Japan helicopters often fly around here. I never thought there would be a crash."

Prefectural police said that as the helicopter crashed in the mountains and there were no homes in the vicinity, it was unlikely anyone else had been caught up in the accident.

(Japanese original by Deockwoo An and Akari Terouchi, Hiroshima Bureau, and Shinji Kanto, Fukuyama Bureau)