Japan has grounded its fleet of F-15 fighter jets after the fuel tank of one of the warplanes fell off during a training sortie, officials said on Saturday.
The pilot ejected safely and no one was injured in Friday's incident near the Komatsu base in western Japan, media reports said quoting Japan Air Self-Defense Force officials.
They said the entire fleet of F-15 will remain grounded until safety of the U.S.-designed aircraft was ensured. It was the second time in three months that Japan suspending F-15 flights.
The empty tank and parts of a dummy missile got separated from the aircraft and fell down as it was nearing an airstrip for landing.
A top official of Japan's Air Force said they were taking the accident "very seriously," the cause of which was under investigation.
The crash of an F-15 into the China Sea in July had forced Japan to ground the aging fleet then.
(source)
