Archive · 21 Jan 2026
Helicopter Missing Near Japan's Mount Aso
A small helicopter that was taking tourists for a ride near a big volcano in Japan called Mount Aso has gone missing.
The helicopter had two people from Taiwan and one pilot from Japan.
It took off but never came back.
A police helicopter saw something that looked like the missing helicopter inside the volcano.
The weather was cloudy, making it hard to see.
People are trying to find the helicopter, but they had to stop for a while because of bad weather and dangerous gases from the volcano.
The helicopter company has stopped all its flights for now.
This is not the first time something like this has happened with this company.
Mount Aso is a very active volcano and a popular place for tourists to visit.
A sightseeing helicopter carrying three people went missing near Mount Aso, Japan.
The helicopter took off from Aso City at 10:52 local time and lost contact.
An object resembling the helicopter was spotted inside the crater of Nakadake.
Search and rescue efforts were temporarily suspended due to poor weather and toxic gases.
The helicopter's operator, Takumi Enterprise, has grounded all its helicopters.
- Who
- Three people: two Taiwanese tourists and one Japanese pilot
- What
- A sightseeing helicopter went missing near Mount Aso
- When
- Tuesday, with search and rescue efforts resuming Wednesday morning
- Where
- Near Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
- Why
- The helicopter lost contact and an object resembling it was spotted inside the crater of Nakadake
- Location
- Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
- Passengers
- Two Taiwanese tourists and one Japanese pilot
- Helicopter Model
- US-made Robinson R44
- Pilot Experience
- 40 years of flying experience
- Weather Conditions
- Cloudy, poor visibility
- Last Contact
- 10:52 local time (01:52 GMT) on Tuesday
- Search and Rescue Status
- Resumed Wednesday morning after suspension due to poor weather and toxic gases