Just a day after a Russian Su-30 fighter ((NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) crashed during a training flight in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a Soviet-era MiG-23 suffered a catastrophic mishap halfway around the world, crashing during the conclusion of an airshow in Michigan.
The incident occurred at the Thunder Over Michigan airshow at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti just after 4pm ET.
The pilots successfully ejected and landed in the nearby Belleville Lake, while the jet crashed nearby.
There were no reports of injuries on the ground.
MiG-23 Crash: What We Know
“The pilot and backseater successfully ejected from the aircraft before the crash,” Wayne County Airport Authority said in a statement on Sunday evening. “While it did not appear they sustained any significant injuries, first responders transported the pair to a nearby hospital as a precaution.”
Video of the aircraft’s final moments has since made the rounds on social media, and in a sixteen-second-long clip both pilots could be seen ejecting from the privately-owned, demilitarized aircraft.
This was the 25th year of the Thunder Over Michigan, which remains one of the country’s leading airshows. The event was nearly its conclusion when the crash occurred, and the show was immediately stopped with spectators asked to leave.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The Only Privately Owned MiG-23
The privately owned Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23UB (NATO reporting name Flogger) with registration N23UB was formerly in service with the Czech Air Force. It was the only privately owned Flogger in the world and was owned by former U.S. Navy pilot Dan Flier – who is noted for his Instagram page that provides updates on the aircraft as well as other MiG-23s that are in the process of being restored.
Flier had reportedly flown the aircraft up from its hanger at the East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County, Texas. The aircraft had recently flown in the EAA’s AirVenutre airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
MiG-23 in the Crosshairs
Developed in the late 1960s in response to the United States military’s McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Republic F-105 Thunderchief, the Mikoyan MiG-23 succeeded the widely-used MiG-21. It offered a greater payload, range, and firepower with beyond-visual range intercept capability from more powerful onboard sensors. The Model 23-11 prototype first flew in 1967, and production commenced just two years later.
Compared to the MiG-21, the Flogger had great promise – its advanced radar and fire control system could fire missiles at targets beyond visual range, while its variable “swing-wing” geometry, was similar to that of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark.
MiG-23. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
MiG-23. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
However, the MiG-23 wasn’t without issues. It was reported to be difficult to fly and expensive to maintain, while its engines had a short service life. It had earned the unflattering nickname the “flying coffin,” due to a number of high-profile accidents.
This is a developing story.
The pilots of the MIKOYAN GUREVICH MIG-23UB (N23UB) have both ejected this afternoon during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow pic.twitter.com/j2sLp7DLmT
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) August 13, 2023
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
