On Sep. 1, a small plane crashed into the sea just off the coast of Miyazaki airport, injuring the pilot, the only one onboard the plane, who was later rescued and hospitalized, police said.

The crew of a police helicopter found Norio Nakamura, a 63-year-old clinic owner, at around 4 p.m. in the Pacific around 2 kilometers southeast of the airport along with debris of the plane.

Nakamura was on a training flight for takeoffs and landings, according to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

At around 2:50 p.m. when he was making a descent, he reported to an air traffic controller that he would be making an ascent off the coast because the weather was bad, the ministry said.