Fighter jet crash at Thunder Over Michigan air show: What we know

Madeline Beck, Detroit Free Press
·1 min read
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On Sunday afternoon, a fighter jet crashed at the Thunder Over Michigan air show in Ypsilanti. Here's what happened, and what you should know about the crash.

Was anyone injured in the crash?

Officials investigate the site where a MiG-23 crashed during the Thunder Over Michigan air show near the Waverly on the Lake apartment complex in Van Buren Township on Sunday, August 13, 2023.
Officials investigate the site where a MiG-23 crashed during the Thunder Over Michigan air show near the Waverly on the Lake apartment complex in Van Buren Township on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

Thousands of spectators were in attendance at the air show, which took place Saturday and Sunday and was celebrating its 25th anniversary. No one was injured from the crash, and the pilot, listed as Dan Filer in the program, and backseater were able to successfully eject from the aircraft before the plane went down around 4 p.m. The pair aboard the aircraft parachuted to the ground and were then transported to a hospital for surveillance.

Where did the crash occur?

Spectators look on after a MiG-23 aircraft crashed into the ground at the Thunder over Michigan air show at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. Two people reportedly ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash.
Spectators look on after a MiG-23 aircraft crashed into the ground at the Thunder over Michigan air show at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. Two people reportedly ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash.

The Yankee Air Museum's Thunder Over Michigan air show took place at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti. The aircraft crashed into the parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments on Denton Road at the I-94 service drive in Van Buren Township, striking unoccupied vehicles and narrowly missing the apartment complex. Witnesses reported a loud boom and plumes of smoke erupting into the air following the crash, as emergency crews rushed to extinguish the flames.

What kind of aircraft was it?

A MiG-23 aircraft is seen in the air moments before crashing during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti on Sunday, August 13, 2023. Two people reportedly ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash.
A MiG-23 aircraft is seen in the air moments before crashing during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti on Sunday, August 13, 2023. Two people reportedly ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash.

The plane was a MiG-23, a Russian fighter jet which can travel faster than the speed of sound. The cockpit of the aircraft reportedly had poor visibility, with an ejection seat which wrapped around the pilot's head.

Thunder Over Michigan: Fighter jet crashes during air show in Ypsilanti

Why did the jet crash?

The plane was doing aerial maneuvers just before the two passengers ejected from the aircraft following an explosion. It is still unclear what exactly caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the situation.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Thunder Over Michigan air show plane crash: What we know