Tokyo glider crash: Two dead as light aircraft comes down on roof of house

Video shows the light aircraft in pieces around the house

A glider has crashed on to the roof of a house near Tokyo in Japan, killing two men on board.

Video footage released by the Kyodo news agency shows the light aircraft in pieces around the house in a small but densely-populated town near Narita airport, east of Tokyo.

69-year-old Shuji Fujioka and another man, who has not yet been identified, were taken to hospital and later confirmed dead, according to AFP. The residents of the house are not reported to be injured.

Local police are looking into the causes of the crash, which took place just after midday (0300 GMT) today and damaged two nearby buildings. Japan’s TV Asahi also noted that the site of the crash is near a junior high school.

“It’s highly unlikely that there was a technical problem, because they’re such simple aircraft,” said Pete Stratten of the British Gliding Association (BGA).

“Based on our experience of glider accidents worldwide, it could be weather-related, or pilot distraction-related,” he said.

Glider fatalities are rare, and there have been no reported deaths of UK glider pilots in the last two years, said Stratten.

There are around 8500 licenced glider pilots in the UK, according to the BGA.