VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A fighter jet performing at an air show near Willow Run Airport crashed on Sunday, just seconds after a pilot and a crew member ejected from the aircraft.
Thunder Over Michigan was taking place Sunday at the airport, featuring several aircraft, including the MiG-23 aircraft, performing various maneuvers in the air.
A spokesperson for the event told Local 4 the MiG-23 aircraft crashed into the parking lot at the Waverly on the Lake Apartments in Van Buren Township.
The pilot and a crew member who were in the jet safely ejected and were recovered. They were transported to a local hospital and are expected to be OK.
The aircraft struck unoccupied vehicles in the apartment complex’s parking lot. No one at the apartment complex nor the air show was injured.
The FAA is investigating the crash. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
This was the 25th year of the Thunder Over Michigan show, which started on Saturday and was set to conclude on Sunday. The show was stopped after the crash and spectators were asked to leave.