Glider crashes into mountain in Fukushima Pref, killing pilot
May 6, 2016
A glider crashed into a mountainous area in Fukushima Prefecture Thursday, killing the pilot, police and firefighters said.
The motorless one-seat glider crashed in mountainous terrain in the town of Miharu around 2:15 p.m. and the pilot, Haruki Takamori, a 43-year-old company employee, was found dead, they said. No one else was injured in the accident.
According to the Sendai airport office of the transport ministry, the glider was supposed to depart Kakuda airfield in Kakuda, Miyagi Prefecture, about 10 a.m. and return there by 6 p.m.
But for some reason, the glider actually took off around 11:55 a.m. A local meteorological observatory had issued a strong wind advisory for the area around the crash site.
