SUMMARY
- A retired Russian MiG-23 fighter jet crashed at Michigan's air show, with thousands of spectators witnessing the horrifying event.
- The two crew members ejected safely and were hospitalized as a precaution, while the crash site narrowly avoided an apartment complex.
- This incident follows two fatal crashes last month, raising concerns about air show safety.
At a thrilling Michigan air show on Sunday afternoon, a retired Russian MiG-23 fighter jet met an unexpected fate. Thousands of onlookers, families, and children were left aghast as the plane crashed in a spectacle of flames. Fortunately, the two crew members aboard ejected just in time, the jet narrowly missing a nearby apartment building in Van Buren Township.
The aircraft was part of the Yankee Air Museum's Thunder over Michigan air show at Willow Run Airport, near the city of Ypsilanti. As it performed daring aerial maneuvers, something went amiss, prompting the crew to eject and the jet to crash. The exact cause is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Wayne County Airport Authority spokesman Randy Wimbley provided reassurance that both the pilot and the backseater were safe, though transported to a hospital as a precaution. Onlookers even saw their parachutes open as they descended gracefully to the ground.
The jet's crash into the parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments was terrifying, yet miraculously, no injuries were reported. Wimbley confirmed that the jet hit unoccupied vehicles, sparing human casualties. This incident comes closely after two fatal crashes at an Oshkosh, Wisconsin air show, adding to the somber mood of the aviation community.
Witnesses, some even outside the air show, shared videos and accounts of the crash on social media, describing loud booms and dark plumes of smoke. Despite the shocking incident, the show, celebrating its 25th anniversary, ended on Sunday, leaving attendees like Matthew Gerick bewildered and wondering, "Did we just watch that happen?"
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