MiG-23 Crashes At Michigan Air Show

Two people flying in a Soviet-era MiG-23 fighter jet were forced to eject right before it crash at the end of an air show in Michigan over the weekend, according to the Detroit Free Press. The pilot and their passenger were hospitalized, but appear to have escaped serious injury. The crash sent a thick cloud of black smoke and a fireball billowing into the air, but no one on the ground was injured.

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NBC News reports that an FAA statement posted to X (ugh) revealed the two in the plane were able to make it to the ground safely by landing in nearby Belleville Lake. The MiG was flying in the Thunder Over Michigan air show hosted by the Yankee Air Museum in a western Detroit suburb.

Freep says that the two-day air show – which was celebrating its 25th anniversary – was near the end of its second day when the crash took place a bit after 4 p.m. As you may have imagined, the rest of the day’s festivities were canceled. The plane reportedly crashed into an apartment complex’s parking lot, but it only struck unoccupied vehicles. However, it looks like disaster was only narrowly averted. The outlet found a photo posted on Facebook that shows a charred tail section of the MiG just a few feet from an apartment building.

The pilot, who the outlet says is Dan Filer, according to the program, and his backseater can be seen ejecting as their parachutes open and carry them back to the ground.

According to Freep, the MiG-23 – a plane that can break the sound barrier – has a cockpit that was considered an improvement over previous Soviet fighters because of its more ergonomic layout. However, pilot visibility is reportedly poor and the ejection seat is wrapped around the pilot’s head.

Now, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.