Three men have been confirmed dead after a small plane crashed in a mountainous area of Yame city in Fukuoka Prefecture. The aircraft, which issued a distress signal shortly after takeoff from Kyushu-Saga International Airport, became unreachable and was spotted by a local resident. Police and firefighters located debris and the bodies near the site.
On Tuesday, around 10:40 a.m., a local resident in Yame city, Fukuoka Prefecture, called emergency services reporting that what appeared to be a Cessna aircraft had crashed, with black smoke visible. During search operations, police officers and firefighters found apparent plane debris on a mountain. The three men, believed to have been aboard, were discovered near the likely crash site, close to the border with Oita Prefecture, and pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the office of Kyushu-Saga International Airport in Saga city, two of the men were from Kyoto city and one from Kobe city. Police are confirming their identities. The aircraft was a Cirrus SR20, a five-seater single-propeller plane made by U.S.-based Cirrus Aircraft.
Transport ministry officials said a distress signal was received around 10:31 a.m., about 20 minutes after the plane took off from Kyushu-Saga International Airport. It had arrived at the airport from Yao Airport in Osaka Prefecture on Monday. The flight plan called for departure at around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday and arrival back at Yao Airport at around 12:45 p.m.