The cause of a dropped engine part from an Air Force C-130H Hercules en route from Yokota Air Base on Thursday morning is under investigation, Yokota officials announced in a news release Friday.

Part of an engine tailpipe, measuring 2 feet in diameter and 3 feet in length, landed in an uninhabited area of Saitama Prefecture, about 15 miles north of the base. There were no reports of damage to either people or property, according to the news release.

The plane is deployed to Yokota from the 517th Airlift Squadron based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

“The exact cause of the incident is under investigation by a safety investigation board,” officials stated in the release.

Base officials declined to provide further details pending the investigation outcome.

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Friday that, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, falling parts from U.S. military aircraft have caused property damage in two separate incidents since 1999. In Sept. 2001, debris struck a Hamura city factory, and in May 1999, a part fell on a Machida city residence.

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