Pittsfield native Air Force member killed in Osprey crash near Japan
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - One of the victims in the U.S. Air Force Osprey crash during a training mission off the coast of southern Japan on Wednesday has been identified as a man from Berkshire County.
U.S. Air Force member Jacob "Jake" Galliher has been identified as one of the eight crew members flying in the Osprey V-22 when it crashed into the ocean. Jacob's body was found and identified by officials. He is the only crew member that has been found so far.
Galliher was a 2017 graduate of Taconic High School in Pittsfield, according to the Pittsfield Police Department. Galliher leaves behind his wife, Ivy, and two boys, two and six years old and his family members in Lanesborough.
"To Jacob's family, friends our community is mourning with you, and also the families of the other 7 who have yet to be located," stated the Pittsfield Police Department.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated. Crews continued searching for the other seven crew members on Friday. The aircraft had departed from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture and crashed on its way to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japanese officials said. The aircraft requested an emergency landing five minutes before it was lost on the radar.
An Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise like an airplane.