Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Two pilots aboard a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter plane were rescued Wednesday after their aircraft crashed into the Sea of Japan.
The Mitsubishi F2-B fighter plane, based at Tsuiki Air Force Base in Fukuoka prefecture, disappeared from radar on Wednesday morning, minutes after a distress signal was activated. Its last confirmed location was about 80 miles from the base. A helicopter crew located the pilots in the water near Yamaguchi prefecture and rescued them within an hour of their plane's disappearance.