Both crew safely ejected from the stricken Soviet-era swing-wing MiG-23 Flogger, with it flying uncontrolled into the ground seconds later.
A privately owned MiG-23UB Flogger crashed Sunday at the conclusion of the Thunder Over Michigan airshow in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Video shows the MiG-23UB in a shallow left turn before the two crew onboard eject. The stricken MiG then careened into the ground. WDIV reports both crewmembers ejected safely and have been recovered from the water, but there is no information yet on injuries, if any, on the ground.
There are reports, which we cannot confirm at this time, that an apartment building’s grounds may have been hit by the stricken MiG. Detroitnews.com reports that “The plane crashed near the lawn of The Waverly on the Lake Apartment complex in Belleville.”
The MiG-23UB, registration N23UB, was owned by former Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Dan Flier. A 2022 story from KLTV in Tyler, Texas, showed the 2-seat Flogger and Flier in its hangar at East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County, Texas.
Ivan Voukadinov
YouTuber Erik Johnston has a pair of videos featuring N23UB and Dan Flier, including an extensive walkaround of the restored Flogger.
N23UB has been on the airshow cirtcuit this year and has delighted fans. Such complex Soviet-era fighter aircraft in flying form are a rarity. N23UB was involved in an incident on July 28 at Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. On a pass over the field, a piece of windscreen glass fell to the ground from the aircraft.
Thunder Over Michigan announced it had canceled the remainder of the show after the crash.
This is a breaking news story. We will continue to update the story with additional details as they are available.
UPDATE: 1:00am EST—
Some stunning footage of the crash site show the Flogger just missed an apartment complex, with the burned-out fuselage sitting right next to the building. Thankfully nobody was injured. Clearly, this could have ended so much worse. Both of the Flogger’s crew were also taken to a local hospital after their ejection for precautionary examinations and were declared free of any major injuries. The FAA is investigating the crash.
Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com
