Date:	Tuesday 6 March 2018
Time:	18:48 LT
Type:	Boeing CH-47J Chinook
Owner/operator:	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Registration:	57-4493
MSN:	5075
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	near JASDF Okinoerabujima Sub Base, Kagoshima prefecture -   Japan
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Naha Air Base (OKA/ROAH)
Destination airport:	JASDF Okinoerabujima Sub Base
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
A CH-47J of Naha Helicopter Airlift Squadron, Japan Air Self-Defense Force lost the upper half of aft cargo door (160cm x 24cm x 4cm, 31kg) during an approach from southeast to the heliport in JASDF Okinoerabujima Sub Base, Okinoerabujima island, Kagohima prefecture. No personal injuries nor damages on the ground were reported, and the Chinook landed safely on the heliport. The CH-47J departed from Naha Air Base/Naha Airport for a night time training flight. The fallen part was located and recovered at 200m southeast from the heliport next morning. JASDF says that no anomaly on the aft cargo door had been found in the maintenance on 24th February.

On 6th June 2018, JASDF released an abstract of the final report:
The cause of the incident was a maintenance error. The lock mechanism of the cargo door of the CH-47J had been damaged while removing the door during a regular maintenance in February. Reassembling the door with damaged lock mechanism, the door was locked incompletely. And the door was unlocked by vibration during the incident flight.

[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180306-00050119-yom-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180306-00000129-mai-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180306-00000136-jij-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180306-00000097-asahi-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180307-00000042-mai-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180307-00000058-jij-soci]
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180307-00000081-mai-soci]
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180606-00000080-asahi-soci

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/news/houdou/H29/300306.pdf
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/news/houdou/H29/300307.pdf
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/news/houdou/H30/300606.pdf

A door fell off an Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) CH-47J Chinook and landed on a remote island in the southwest of Japan.
空自輸送ヘリからドアの一部落下…沖永良部島（読売新聞） - Yahoo!ニュース https://t.co/ddyyWtrM6P @YahooNewsTopics pic.twitter.com/sY81dU3q4a

— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 7 mars 2018

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Mar-2018 06:46	isamuel	Added
07-Mar-2018 09:39	isamuel	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Mar-2018 17:12	isamuel	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Mar-2018 17:28	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code]
06-Jun-2018 13:53	isamuel	Updated [Registration, Cn, Source, Embed code, Narrative]