U.S. F-16 Fighters Make Emergency Landing At Aomori Airport

AOMORI, JAPAN – APR. 15: A pair of F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. Misawa base in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan, made an emergency landing Wednesday April 15 at Aomori commercial airport after telling air controllers one of the fighters had engine trouble, local officials said. No pilots and airport passengers suffered any injury but caused delays of the domestic and international commercial flights including out bounds operated by Japan Airlines for Tokyo and by Korean Airlines for Seoul, South Korea. Officials said the troubled fighter jet also detached fuel tanks for the safety of the aircraft over the Sea of Japan before making the emergency landing. Oil leaks were found from the engine on the ground and servicemen from their mother base, Misawa, were to fix the fighter at Aomori airport, officials said. Japan's Aomori Prefectural Governor Shingo Mimura demanded the U.S. authorities here that the U.S. air force should not repeat such a case as such troubles could bring about big concerns to residents of Aomori, the host prefecture of the U.S. military base.