The spot where a Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopter conducted a precautionary landing near a baseball field in Nago city, Okinawa, is seen on March 9, 2026. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
NAGO, Okinawa — This city in northern Okinawa has lodged a formal protest after a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter made a precautionary landing near a youth baseball practice last week, prompting players to evacuate the field.
The UH-1Y Venom landed at about 8:20 p.m. Friday in a grassy area next to Kyoda Baseball Field in Nago after the pilot received an onboard warning, according to Maj. Joseph Butterfield, a spokesman for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
The landing site was separated from the baseball field by a roughly 4-foot-high fence. The Venom landed about 50 feet from the fenceline, according to a photo of the incident from Nago city.
The aircraft — assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 under the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based in Oceanside, Calif. — had been conducting routine training when the warning occurred, Butterfield said by email Monday. No injuries or property damage were reported.
Nago Mayor Taketoyo Toguchi on Monday submitted a protest and request letter to Masaru Murai, director of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, a regional arm of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, an official with the city’s Disaster Prevention and Base Countermeasures Section said by phone that day.
A Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopter makes a a precautionary landing nearthe Kyoda Baseball Field in Nago city, Okinawa, March 6, 2026. (Nago, Okinawa)
The youth baseball team had been practicing at the field when the helicopter landed nearby, Toguchi wrote in the letter.
“One wrong move could have resulted in a catastrophic loss of life, and the anxiety it caused among the residents is unacceptable,” the letter said.
The city asked the U.S. military to investigate the incident, implement measures to prevent similar occurrences and establish a system to notify local authorities if an emergency landing becomes necessary.
The Marine Corps said the pilot’s decision to land reflected standard safety procedures.
“We have the utmost confidence in our pilots’ ability to make informed decisions when presented with indications that an aircraft requires examination before continuing flight operations,” Butterfield wrote. “Any decision to divert to alternate landing areas is made out of an abundance of caution to prioritize the safety of both our aircrew and the local community.”
After an inspection, the helicopter was cleared to fly and returned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma later that night, he said.
The aircraft left the field at 10:41 p.m. and landed at MCAS Futenma roughly 10 minutes later, a spokeswoman for the prefecture’s Military Base Affairs Division said by phone Monday. The helicopter was not carrying weapons or hazardous materials, she added.
Some Japanese government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
