2026 Mount Aso helicopter crash

2026 Mount Aso helicopter crash
A Robinson R44 Raven II, similar to the one involved in the accident
Accident
DateJanuary 20, 2026 (2026-01-20)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain; under investigation
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeRobinson R44 Raven II
OperatorTakumi Enterprise
RegistrationJA10KE
Flight originCuddly Dominion
DestinationCuddly Dominion
Occupants3
Passengers2
Crew1
Missing3

On January 20, 2026, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter on a sightseeing tour crashed inside Mount Aso. All three onboard, including two Taiwanese tourists and the pilot, remain missing.[1][2][3][4]

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft JA10KE, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter owned and operated by Takumi Enterprise (匠航空株式会社), was conducting local sightseeing flights of the Mount Aso area for the Cuddly Dominion (阿蘇カドリー・ドミニオン), the zoo in Kyushu, Japan.

Passengers and crew

There were three people aboard the helicopter: two passengers and one pilot. The two passengers were a married couple from Taiwan, identified as a 41 year-old male and 36 year-old female. The pilot was identified as a 64 year-old male, who had 36 years of flight experience.[5][6][7][8]

Company

The helicopter was operated by Takumi Enterprises (匠航空株式会社), founded in 2001. The company's main business includes sightseeing flights and humanitarian rescue operations such as supporting disaster-stricken areas, rescue missions, and medical transportation.

The company has also faced scrutiny regarding its safety. Prior to this accident, there had been five other incidents, including a tail-strike, a fuel emergency, and a technical malfunction. On May 13, 2024, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, the same model as the one involved in this accident, made a crash landing due to engine failure, resulting in serious injuries to three people.[9][10][11]

Accident

On January 20 at 10:52 a.m. JST, the helicopter took off and was en route for the local sightseeing flights of Mount Aso. The 3 occupants included 2 Taiwanese tourists and the pilot, all of whom went missing during the flight. Meanwhile, one of the tourist's iPhone began sending SOS requests automatically via Apple Emergency SOS due to the amount of G-force detected by the device at around 11:04 a.m. JST.[12]

Search and rescue

On January 20, the Kumamoto police force succeeded in finding the crashed helicopter in the afternoon. However, the rescue was halted due to ground freezing, volcanic gases and strong winds on Mount Aso. As of February 11, rescue operations could not begin after the accident.[13][14][15]

On January 23, three days after the accident, the fire department, the Self-Defense Forces, Aso City and other relevant departments held a meeting at 10:00 a.m. JST to discuss future search methods.[16][17] However, the meeting did not determine specific rescue methods or a timetable. A fire department official indicated that the rescue operation could take a considerable amount of time.[18]

On February 18, almost a month after the incident, the fire department and the police force announced that they had spotted what appeared to be three people on board a crashed sightseeing helicopter via drone.[19] Meanwhile, the authorities held the second meeting to discuss future search methods. The authorities have decided to abandon the plan to send rescue personnel down into the crater for operations and will later assess whether mechanical equipment can be used for hoisting and recovery. And the Taiwanese tourist relatives stated that "the safety of the rescue team should be the top priority" and expressed their understanding of the authorities' judgment and handling of the situation.[20][21]

References

  1. ^ "Tourist attraction turns tragic after chopper crash inside Mt. Aso crater in Kyushu". Mainichi Shimbun. January 21, 2025. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  2. ^ "熊本ヘリ墜落、阿蘇山火口付近で捜索続く　搭乗の3人の安否不明" [Kumamoto helicopter crash, and the safety of the three people on board was unknown after getting close to the Mount Aso crater.]. Mainichi Shimbun. January 21, 2025. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ^ "「濃霧で捜索難航」阿蘇市の遊覧ヘリ 火口内部で機体発見も台湾からの旅行客ら3人不明" ["Dense fog makes it difficult to navigate" A tour in Aso. The body of the aircraft inside the crater is unknown. 3 people include Taiwnaese are unknown.]. KKT News. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  4. ^ "Kumamoto helicopter: 'Tourists' go missing as 'aircraft' spotted near active volcano". Daily Express. January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  5. ^ "阿蘇火山直升機墜毀！起飛檢查無異常　運營商匠航空回應了" [Helicopter crashes on Mount Aso! Takeoff checks found no abnormalities; operator Takumi Enterprise responds.]. NOWnews (今日新聞) (in Chinese). January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  6. ^ "Sightseeing helicopter with three on board crashes near Japan's Mount Aso". The Independent. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "Tourist helicopter goes missing near volcano in Japan". BBC. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  8. ^ "Sightseeing Helicopter Goes Missing Near Volcano, Then Firefighters Get Emergency Alert from Someone Onboard". People (magazine). January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  9. ^ "令和6年5月13日に熊本県阿蘇市にて発生した弊社運航のヘリコプターによる航空事故についてご報告もうしあげます" [We would like to report on the aircraft accident involving a helicopter operated by our company that occurred in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture on May 13, 2024.]. 匠航空株式会社. May 22, 2024. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "阿蘇墜機2台人失聯！　日媒揭營運公司曾5度發生飛安事故" [Two people are missing after plane crash in Asu! Japanese media reveals the operating company had five previous flight safety incidents.]. Mirror Media (in Chinese). January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Rescuers spot wreckage possibly from a helicopter that went missing near a volcano in Japan". Associated Press. January 22, 2025. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  12. ^ "阿蘇直升機事故搜救關鍵曝光　iPhone「救命功能」開啟可自動報警" [Key information revealed in the Mount Aso helicopter crash search and rescue operation: iPhone's "emergency feature" can automatically alert authorities.]. HK01. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  13. ^ "阿蘇火山氣體濃度過高 失聯直升機搜尋困難…傍晚暫停明天繼續" [High gas concentrations at Mount Aso make search for the missing helicopter difficult... Search suspended this evening, will resume tomorrow.]. United Daily News. January 21, 2025. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  14. ^ "熊本・阿蘇の遊覧ヘリ事故、捜索が難航　「火口の内側」接近難しく" [Helicopter accidents on the Kumamoto and Aso tours, difficulty in rescue, difficulty in approaching the "inside of Mount Aso crater"]. The Asahi Shimbun. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  15. ^ "熊本ヘリ大破、捜索難航　安全委、事故原因究明へ" [Kumamoto helicopter crash: search difficult; safety committee to investigate cause of accident]. 南日本新聞. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  16. ^ "阿蘇中岳で遊覧ヘリ事故 ３人安否不明 前例なく捜索・救助は難航 長期化も【熊本】" [Three people missing after helicopter crash on Mount Aso; search and rescue efforts are unprecedentedly difficult and may drag on,【Kumamoto】]. Yahoo! Japan News. January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  17. ^ "遊覧ヘリコプター事故から3日…迅速な捜索は「非常に厳しい状況」　火口の地質もろく 現場への降下困難　熊本" [Three days after the sightseeing helicopter crash... Rapid search is "extremely difficult"; fragile geology at the crater makes it difficult to land on the scene. Kumamoto]. TBS NEWS DIG. January 23, 2026. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  18. ^ "発生から72時間超、いまだ救助の見通したたず　阿蘇・遊覧ヘリ墜落" [More than 72 hours after the incident, rescue still not in sight after sightseeing helicopter crash in Aso]. The Asahi Shimbun. January 23, 2026. Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  19. ^ "熊本・阿蘇山火口内で姿確認　遊覧ヘリ搭乗の３人か" [Three people spotted inside the crater of Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, possibly from a sightseeing helicopter.]. Jiji Press. February 18, 2026. Archived from the original on February 18, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  20. ^ "阿蘇中岳 遊覧ヘリの事故から約１カ月　関係機関が会議　救助方法を検討【熊本】" [Nearly a month after the sightseeing helicopter accident on Mount Aso, relevant agencies meet to consider rescue methods.【Kumamoto】]. Fuji News Network. February 18, 2026. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  21. ^ "阿蘇直升機墜毀…3人身影確認 家屬同意「不再冒險救援」" [Helicopter crash in Mount Asu… 3 people identified; families agree to “no more risky rescue attempts”]. United Daily News. February 18, 2026. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
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