A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23UB performing at an air show near Willow Run Airport crashed on Sunday, just seconds after the two pilots ejected from the aircraft.
The Thunder Over Michigan event was taking place on Sunday at Willow Run, a former aircraft manufacturing plant located near Ypsilanti, featuring several aircraft, including the MiG-23UB, performing various maneuvers in the air.
The MiG-23UB with registration N23UB/1038107, the only private Flogger in the world, was owned by former U.S. Navy pilot Dan Flier.
A spokesperson for the event reported that the MiG-23UB crashed in the parking lot of the Waverly on the Lake Apartments in Belleville. The pilots of the jet safely ejected and were found.
«The pilot and co-pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft before the crash,» stated the Wayne County Airport Authority. «Although they did not appear to have sustained significant injuries, first responders transported the couple to a nearby hospital as a precaution.»
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The pilots were transported to St. Joseph’s hospital. The aircraft struck unoccupied vehicles in the apartment complex’s parking lot, and no one at the apartment complex or the air show was injured, the airport authority stated.
The aircraft struck unoccupied vehicles in the parking lot of the apartment complex. No one at the apartment complex or the air show was injured. The FAA is investigating the crash.
This was the 25th year of the Thunder Over Michigan show, which started on Saturday and was set to conclude on Sunday. The show was stopped after the crash, and spectators were asked to leave.