Members of Libya's Air Forces fly a Soviet-made MIG-23 fighter jet during the Libyan Army Officers 5th Forum, on June 3, 2015, at Tripoli's maritime base. A similar plane crashed during an airshow in Michigan on August 13, 2023.
Two people on board a Soviet-era MiG-23 safely ejected from the plane before it crashed and burned in an air show in Michigan Sunday (August 13).
In a statement, the Wayne County Airport Authority said the incident happened at the Yankee Air Museum's Thunder Over Michigan air show shortly after 16:00 US Eastern Time (20:00 UTC). The jet crashed into unoccupied vehicles in a parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments, narrowly missing one apartment building, the airport authority added.
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Video footage of the incident showed two short bursts of flames coming from the aircraft as the pilot and passenger were each ejected. Both landed safely via parachutes and were taken to hospital as a precaution.
The plane then "burst into a raging fireball," which was quickly put out by emergency crews.
No other casualties were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said investigations are ongoing as to how and why the Russian fighter bomber crashed.
The MiG-23 was piloted by retired US Navy pilot and Soviet-made jet collector Dan Filer, who claimed the plane he ejected out of was the "only privately owned flying MiG-23 in the world."
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 was one of the most utilized Soviet warplanes during the Cold War and was known for its advanced radar and fire control system. It could fire missiles at targets beyond visual range, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
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