Coast guard finds three people and debris in ocean after US military Osprey aircraft carrying six crashed into sea off southern Japan

Japanese coast guard rescuers have found three people as well as debris after a US military Osprey plane crashed into the ocean close to Yakushima island, around 600 miles south of Tokyo. 

Military officials earlier said that there were six people on board the $90 million aircraft when it plummeted into the water. One person was found was alive but unconscious, the conditions of the two others is unclear. 

The crash happened at around 2:47 p.m. local time, with local residents reporting the aircraft had fire blowing from its left engine as it fell into the sea, Japanese broadcaster MBC reported.

The aircraft was attempting to make an emergency landing at Yakushima Airport when it crashed. 

The network also reported that the weather was clear in the area where the incident took place. 

The Osprey was en route from Iwakuni base in the Yamaguchi region to Kadena base in Okinawa. It disappeared from radar around 12:40 Eastern time. A distress call was received by the coast guard shortly afterwards. 

A total of six coast guard ships and two helicopters were deployed as part of a rescue operation. A helicopter found 'what looked like a part of the plane and a life raft,' reports the BBC. 

The deployment of the Osprey in Japan has been controversial, with critics saying it is prone to accidents. The US military and Japan say it is safe. 

This is the second time in three months that an Osprey has been involved in a crash. Three Marines were killed during an exercise in northern Australia. The cause of that crash has not been made public. 

In June 2022, five Marines died in a fiery crash in a remote part of California east of San Diego. A crash investigation report last month found that the tragedy was caused by a mechanical failure related to a clutch.

There had been 16 similar clutch problems with the Marine Ospreys in flight since 2012, the report found. In February 2023, the Marine Corps announced that a piece of equipment believed to be the source of the problem had been replaced. 

The Osprey, a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but during flight can tilt its propellers forward and cruise much faster like an airplane. They are used by the US Marines, US Navy and Japan Self Defense Forces. 

Since 2012, there have been six fatal crashes of Marine Ospreys resulting the deaths of 16 people. 

A majority of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and 70 percent of U.S. military facilities are stationed in Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6 percent of Japanese land.