An exercise out of the US's Yokota Air Base in Japan saw the accidental deployment of the parachute around 4:30 p.m., according the the Japanese Defense Ministry. The US military has been training with a C-130 transport aircraft since Monday and is expected to continue doing so until Friday.
A US service member detached the parachute mid-flight after it failed to deploy. The parachute was picked up by the wind and carried outside the base, landing unfolded in the tennis court. The service member deployed a spare parachute and descended back to base. No injuries were reported.
The Hamura Municipal Government received a report from the school just 20 minutes after the parachute was released. A student on the school's tennis club discovered the nearly 10-foot parachute emblazoned with English lettering.
The student was practicing with five others and a coach on a court near the one where the parachute landed.
The middle school sits just a third of a mile from the US base.
The Japanese Defense Ministry has called for measures to prevent a recurrence of the issue.The incident with the parachute came just days after locals protested the early arrival of five Air Force CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, whiich are scheduled for drills during the summer.
