A tourist helicopter has disappeared while flying over Mount Aso, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, and wreckage believed to belong to the aircraft has been discovered within a crater. The chopper had embarked on a brief sightseeing tour with three passengers aboard when it vanished.

The helicopter took off from the Aso Cuddly Dominion zoo in Aso City at 10:52 a.m. local time, scheduled for a 10-minute flight. However, it failed to return as expected, prompting concerns and a search operation.

Later that afternoon, around 4 p.m., emergency services discovered the remnants of a helicopter deep within the crater of Nakadake, one of Mount Aso’s five summits. The wreckage was found severely damaged, according to the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun.

The Aso Police Station confirmed that the aircraft was completely destroyed, including its passenger compartment. The serial number on the wreckage matched that of the missing helicopter, further supporting the grim identification.

Authorities reported that the debris is scattered along a slope approximately 190 to 230 feet below the crater’s rim. Both police and fire department officials have been involved in the ongoing investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.

According to the police and fire department, the aircraft is scattered on the slope, around 190 to 230ft below the edge of the crater.

The helicopter’s 64-year-old pilot was a veteran with 40 years of experience, according to local media. His passengers were believed to be from Taiwan – a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s.

Search efforts for the passengers have been suspended due to difficulties caused by high concentrations of volcanic gases, but they are set to resume on Thursday morning.

Fire authorities have now found what appears to be the heavily damaged body of a helicopter inside the crater of Nakadake, one of Mount Aso’s five peaks

Helicopter tours over the volcanic landscapes of Mount Aso are among the major tourist draws of Kumamoto prefecture, in south-west Japan

A prefectural disaster prevention helicopter searches near the Nakadake crater of Mount Aso in Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, where a sightseeing helicopter went missing earlier in the day

Firefighters gather at a search base for a missing sightseeing helicopter near Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026

The aircraft, a US-made Robinson R44, was carrying out its third sightseeing trip of the day when it disappeared.

There had been no reported issues with the two previous flights, according to the helicopter’s operator Takumi Enterprise.

The helicopter’s GPS signal was last detected near the mountain’s crater and has since been disconnected. 

Cloudy weather was reported over the Nakadake area on Tuesday, and police say bad weather is limiting visibility around the crater, and high levels of volcanic gases are also hindering the search.   

A watchman stationed at the crater observation post at the Aso Mountain Top Office told NHK that conditions near the volcano were severely limiting visibility due to smoke.

He said: ‘In addition to white smoke, there was fog around the crater, so visibility was poor and it was completely white.’

Takumi Enterprise grounded all of its helicopters following the incident, according to Jiji news agency.

Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Takashi Kimura said he has been in communication with Chen Ming-jun, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Fukuoka, concerning the search operation. 

Local authorities are also reviewing safety protocols for manned flights near the active crater. 

No further information about the status of the passengers has yet been reported. 

Helicopter tours over the volcanic landscapes of Mount Aso are among the major tourist draws of Kumamoto prefecture, in south-west Japan.

In 2024, a Takumi Enterprise sightseeing helicopter flying over Mount Aso made an emergency landing, injuring the three people on board.

Mount Aso last erupted in October 2021, sending a massive plume of smoke into the sky.