Beechcraft A-36 Engine fire

[Rabbi O'Genius]

3 found dead in training plane crash

Japanese police say they have found all 4 people believed to have been on board a training aircraft that crashed in northern Japan on Thursday. One of them has survived, but the other 3 were found dead.

The Beechcraft A-36 from the Civil Aviation College went missing shortly after it took off from Obihiro Airport in Hokkaido on Thursday morning. Two instructors and 2 trainees were on board.

Hours later, police and Self-Defense Forces found the crashed plane about 30 kilometers from the airport. The fuselage of the aircraft was severely damaged.

One of the trainees was rescued when he was found walking near the accident site. He is conscious and has been taken to hospital for burns.

The trainee told police that the engine went up in flames during the flight, causing the plane to catch fire. He also said he was thrown out of the aircraft.

Police also say the other 3 were found dead near the site.

The Civil Aviation College told reporters that the plane's engine has only flown a little over 300 hours since it was installed. It added that about 1,400 more hours were left until a scheduled overhaul.

Thursday, July 28, 2011 16:33 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_33.html