A KC-135 Stratotanker with the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, flies during routine training on Dec. 11, 2018. (Matthew Seefeldt/U.S. Air Force)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Air Force emergency responders turned out Wednesday morning for an aerial refueler that diverted to this airlift hub in western Tokyo.
A KC-135 Stratotanker taxied to a ramp on the southwest corner of Yokota’s airfield, where at 11 a.m. it was surrounded by a half-dozen Yokota Fire Department vehicles, lights turning.
The tanker, assigned to the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, had diverted to Yokota due to a maintenance issue, according to email to Stars and Stripes from 374th Airlift Wing spokesman Master Sgt. Nathan Allen.
“The aircraft landed safely at 10:40 a.m. and there were no reported injuries,” he wrote. “Emergency response protocols were activated in accordance with standard procedures.”
Allen did not elaborate on the nature of the maintenance issue.
The emergency response occurred within sight of the main road that connects Yokota’s central area with its east side and crosses the southern end of the runway. Drivers making midday trips across the base had a front-row view of the tanker and the fire department response.
