ASDF F-2 fighter jet swerves off runway at Misawa, pilot injured+

TOKYO, June 23 Kyodo -
An Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jet swerved off a runway at Misawa Air
Base in Aomori Prefecture after touching down Tuesday, causing one of the two
pilots aboard to sustain a minor injury, the ASDF said.

The runway was closed for about two hours but reopened shortly after 6 p.m., it
said, adding that the accident apparently delayed a Japan Airlines flight bound
for Tokyo.
The accident occurred at around 4:15 p.m. after an F-2 of the 3rd Air Wing
based at Misawa landed on the runway amid strong crosswinds, it said. The
injured pilot was identified as Maj. Mikio Kobayashi.
Maj. Gen. Hiroaki Maehara, commander of the air wing, was the other pilot
aboard and was undergoing a training flight at the time, according to the ASDF.
It was not immediately clear which pilot was landing the aircraft.
The Misawa base is home to the U.S. Air Force as well as the ASDF. Commercial
aircraft also use the airfield.
==Kyodo