TOKYO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A CH101 helicopter of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) flipped over as it tried to land on a quay at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Thursday, injuring three of the personnel on board.
Local media said the accident occurred at around 2:20 p.m. local time (0520 GMT) at the base in western Japan.
The MSDF said the helicopter originated from the Shirase, an Antarctic observation ship, and was carrying eight members on board including the pilot.
Three out of the eight members aboard suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash, which according to preliminary investigations involved the helicopter flipping over as it was maneuvering to land on the quay.
The quay protrudes into the sea from the south side of the base and images from public broadcaster NHK showed the wrecked chopper laying on its side with its rotors detached and debris scattered around its battered fuselage.
Eyewitness accounts said the helicopter was attempting to land and had reached a stable hover roughly several meters from the ground, but the aircraft became unstable and the main rotor hit the ground.
The MSDF said it is investigating the cause of the accident and said the downed helicopter was being used for training purposes at the time of the accident.
All Nippon Airways (ANA), has said there is no impact on its flights departing from Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport, which uses the same runway as the Iwakuni base.
The CH101 helicopter is 22.8 meters in length and 18.6 meters in overall width, and it can carry 25 people, in addition to the four passengers required for flight operations such as pilots and engineers.
