An empty fuel tank of an F-15 fighter of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) fell to the ground near the Force’s Komatsu base in Ishikawa Prefecture on Friday morning just before the plane finished a training flight and landed at the base. The fuel tank, which measures 6.6 meters long, 0.8 meter in diameter and 155 kilograms in weight, fell at around 8:45 a.m. at a place some 4 kilometers north-northeast of the Komatsu base, according to the local kyodo news citing officials. Parts of the fuel tank were scattered over some 10 locations, such as the roof of a sewage facility and empty lots, in the city of Nomi, near Komatsu, according to firefighters.
So far there has been no injury report, according to the local media. The fuel tank that fell to the ground had been placed under the aircraft’s left wing. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.