2 Pilots Eject from MiG-23 During Incident at Thunder Over Michigan

The vintage jet, which was performing the air show finale, went down in an apartment building parking lot.

Monday, August 14, 2023 at 12:51 PM ET

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The MiG-23, seen here taking off in Lakeland, Florida in April 2023, crashed while performing the air show finale. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A MiG-23 jet crashed during the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show after its pilot and backseater ejected due to an unspecified issue.
Both occupants were recovered safely and taken to a local hospital as a precaution, appearing to have no significant injuries.
The jet crashed in a parking lot, damaging several unoccupied cars, but there were no injuries on the ground or damage to nearby buildings.
The remainder of the air show was canceled following the accident, which is now under investigation by the FAA and NTSB.

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Fans at the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show in Ypsilanti got more than they bargained for Sunday when the MiG-23 that was performing around 4 p.m. EDT developed some sort of issue that caused the pilot and backseater to eject.

Video of the event shows the jet at low altitude entering a left bank when the occupants of the aircraft ejected. Some witnesses stated they saw fire coming from the jet.