On April 14, 2005, a Mitsubishi MU-2 Marquise (registration 73-3229) operated by Japan Air Self-Defense Force - Kōkū Jieitai was involved in an aviation accident near Mt Mikagura, Japan in flight. 4 people were killed. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A twin-engine aircraft crashed into a mountain near Niigata during a local training mission, resulting in the deaths of all four crew members.
What happened
Shortly after departing from Niigata Airport, a twin-engine aircraft crashed into the slopes of Mt Mikagura. The accident occurred approximately 55 km southeast of the departure airfield. At the time of the impact, the flight was conducting a local training mission. Despite the presence of favorable weather conditions during the flight, the aircraft struck the mountain during the early stages of its flight.
Findings
The aircraft was operating under good meteorological conditions.
The flight was engaged in a training exercise at the time of the accident.
The impact resulted in four fatalities among the crew members.