Two pilots ejected from a jet before the plane crashed during the finale of a Detroit-area air show on Sunday.
Video from spectators of the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show shows two ejection seats shooting from the low-flying military aircraft before parachutes opened.
Plane crashes at an air show near Detroit, Michigan. Two pilots ejected. pic.twitter.com/IKevswIl7n
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) August 13, 2023
A black plume of smoke emanated from the earth after the ejections.
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🚨#BREAKING: A jet has crashed into an apartment building during air show nearby Civilians are being evacuated
Currently multiple authorities are responding to a significant incident involving an aircraft that collided with an apartment complex during… pic.twitter.com/2hCUrOauAk
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) August 13, 2023
Another video showed smoke coming from the aircraft as the pilots ejected — possibly from the plane’s ejection mechanism.
— Marsha Bogardus (@3Scorpios) August 13, 2023
In a twist, the pilots were operating a Soviet-era MiG-23 jet fighter aircraft, according to WJBK.
The Wayne County Airport Authority released a statement after the crash, confirming that the accident hadn’t resulted in any injuries or facilities.
However, the plane crashed into the parking lot of an apartment building — a seeming near-miss of a fatal disaster.
“Shortly after 4:00 p.m. Sunday, a MiG-23 demonstration plane performing at the Yankee Air Museum’s Thunder over Michigan air show crashed into the parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments in Belleville,” the statement said.
“The pilot and backseater successfully ejected from the aircraft before the crash. While it did not appear they sustained any significant injuries, first responders transported the pair to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
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“The aircraft struck unoccupied vehicles in the apartment complex’s parking lot. No one at the apartment complex nor the air show was injured. The [Federal Aviation Administration] is investigating the crash.”
A photo of the aircraft before the crash shows it still decorated with imagery from the armed forces of the former Soviet Union.
Please pray for everyone’s safety – a jet went down at Thunder Over Michigan Air Show but pilot was able to eject. So scary! Photo of reported jet beforehand (MiG). #thunderovermichigan #airshow pic.twitter.com/UbeKP3whCC
— Rachel Keiko Schramm (@rachieschramm) August 13, 2023
The cause of the crash remained unknown as of Sunday night, according to The Detroit News.
A third-generation jet fighter that first flew in 1967, the MiG-23 remains in service in the air forces of some Third-World countries, according to Military Today.
