A U.S. Air Force pilot was rescued after his F-16 fighter jet crashed into the ocean off Japan's northeast Hokkaido island on Sunday.
Quoting the Coast Guard, Japanese media reported that the pilot ejected from the warplane and was rescued by a Japanese vessel. The pilot is reported to have not suffered major injuries.
The fighter jet crashed into the ocean near the Kuril Islands, about 870 kilometers northeast of Hokkaido at around noon on Sunday. The aircraft was on its way to a base in Alaska along with two others from the Misawa air base in Japan's Aomori prefecture. The other jet fighters returned to Misawa after the accident.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces dispatched a P3C aircraft from a base in Aomori prefecture for the rescue operation.
A F-16 fighter jet from the Misawa base crashed into the Pacific Ocean in April 2001 and another went down into the Sea of Japan in 2002, the report said.
by RTT Staff Writer
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