YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — An airman killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday at the home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo served as a crew chief for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, the Air Force said in a statement Friday.
Senior Airman Michael Spradlin, 28, of Yokota’s 374th Maintenance Squadron, was pronounced dead at approximately 8:25 a.m. Wednesday after being taken to the base medical facility, officials said. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which was still under investigation Friday.
The statement, which said Spradlin had been stationed at Yokota since May, did not list his hometown.
“My heart goes out to the Michael’s family, friends, and teammates,” 374th Maintenance Squadron commander Lt. Col. Kristina Lamothe said in the statement. “A loss of life is never easy to experience and the grieving process takes time. He will be missed.”
The last motorcycle fatality at Yokota happened in January 2014, when a rider was killed in a crash in front of the Yokota Community Center.
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