Military aircraft crashes near Japan, with at least one killed

A U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed in the ocean near southern Japan on Wednesday. Japanese coast guard officials pronounced one male crew member dead, but the status of the other crew members and the cause of the crash were not immediately known. The aircraft was headed to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa when witnesses saw fire coming from the left engine and the crew attempted an emergency sea landing. A fishing boat near the crash site placed an emergency call, the Coast Guard said.

How reliable is an Osprey aircraft? An Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but rotates its propellers like an airplane during flight. They are deployed at U.S. and Japanese military bases throughout Japan and have had several fatal crashes since 2012. In December 2016, a U.S. Marine Corps Osprey crashed near the coast of Okinawa, injuring two and sparking safety concerns.

Dig deeper: Read Todd Vician’s report in WORLD Magazine about the scramble to meet recruiting goals amid flagging interest in military service.