Fallen F-15 fuel tank may have broken apart in flight: Air Self-Defense Force

Police and Self-Defense Forces personnel inspect part of an auxiliary fuel tank that fell off an F-15 fighter while it was flying over Ishikawa Prefecture on Friday morning.

A fuel tank that fell from a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) F-15 fighter may have broken apart in flight, with parts of the tank, including where it attached to the plane, still remaining on the fighter, ASDF sources said.

On Oct. 7, parts of a fuel tank and dummy missile from an F-15 fighter fell on areas near the ASDF's Komatsu Air Base. No injuries were reported. The ASDF has set up a commission to investigate the incident, and a group of 15 officers have been dispatched to the area. It is believed the tank may have ruptured after being exposed to pressure of some sort.

According to the ASDF, the tank was made in 1981 by a Japanese firm. The tank fell as the fighter was approaching Komatsu Air Base to land after drills. The plane was around 500 meters above the ground at the time, in the midst of a right turn.

The pilot reported hearing an explosion and seeing flames in the rear-view mirror. A traffic controller at the base also claims to have noticed fire coming from the plane just before the tank fell. Although the tank was designed so that it could be intentionally separated from the plane with an explosive charge, this charge was not used.

Fins from a dummy missile on the plane and other debris were later found at locations in and around a waste water treatment facility in the city of Nomi. One piece of debris was some four meters long, and one piece landed only about 30 meters away from residences and a factory.

The ruptured tank, one of three on the plane, had been fixed under the fighter's left wing. The number of fuel tanks had been increased to allow the aircraft to fly long distances during practice flights ahead of demonstrations at Hyakuri Air Base on Oct. 16. Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa has ordered that F-15 drills be suspended until the cause of the accident is discovered. Furthermore, F-15s will not be allowed to participate in the demonstrations at Hyakuri Air Base.

In June 2004, a fuel tank attached to the wing of a T-4 practice plane from Komatsu Air Base fell into the ocean as the result of a problem with the plane's electrical system.

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