Plane Crashes During Thunder Over Michigan Airshow Finale: It was a perfect Sunday for an airshow, with clear skies and tens of thousands of aviation enthusiasts in attendance at the 25th Thunder Over Michigan, one of the nation’s premier airshows, when, at the event’s conclusion, an aircraft performing for the event crashed.
Sunday at 4:15 p.m., two pilots ejected from a MiG-23UB fighter aircraft in midair at Willow Run Airport and were rescued from Belleville Lake, according to the Wayne County Airport Authority. The jet collided with uninhabited vehicles in the Waverly on the Lake Apartments parking lot in Van Buren Township. No injuries were reported, according to the airport authority.
Marsha Bogardus filmed the scene while viewing the show with her children on Belleville Lake. Her children were frightened by the rapid-fire combination of sights and sounds that occurred more than an hour into the concert, she said.
“We heard these enormous explosions,” Bogardus stated. “I began recording and witnessed both pilots evacuate. It frightened my children, and everyone panicked. It fell like a projectile near where we live in an apartment complex. Uncertain of where it landed.”
Plane Crashes During Thunder Over Michigan Airshow Finale
The pilot and backseat passenger successfully ejected from the aircraft prior to the accident, according to the airport authority. First responders transported the couple to a nearby hospital out of an abundance of caution, despite the absence of apparent serious injuries.
They were transported to Superior Township’s St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, according to the two agencies. The investigation will be led by the NTSB. The crash’s cause remained unknown.
Videos appeared to show two people ejecting and deploying parachutes.
A second witness reported seeing smoke south of the airport.
Saline resident Mark McCulloch, 49, stated, “A man pointing and exclaiming ‘Oh my God’ caused me to turn.” “I was using a Nikon D-800 with a 600 mm lens, and this is what I observed…. I did not observe any loud sound or indications.
Near Interstate 94 and the service drive, Van Buren Township police, county sheriff’s deputies, and other authorities blocked off roads and directed concertgoers away from the area.
The first show began soaring in circles over Van Buren Township at 3 p.m. Approximately 2,600 automobiles were parked along the service drive and at the airport to view one of the nation’s most prestigious aviation displays.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the occasion. Kevin Walsh, president and CEO of the Yankee Air Museum, stated just prior to the 3 p.m. show that the 55 modern and vintage military aircraft in the show are requested from all over the world.
This year’s theme was “Greatest of Thunder,” and a performance by the F-22 Raptor Eye was featured.
Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Ann Arbour, stated that she had been in contact with authorities regarding the accident.
“At this time, it appears that both pilots are safe and there have been no injuries,” Dingell stated in a press release. Immediate top priority is to conduct exhaustive physical assessments to ensure everyone’s safety.
Detroit natives Naretee Vaughn and Prentiss Small were at Horizon Park on High Street in Belleville.
“I’ve been to more than 15 airshows, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Small, 32, who attended the event with Vaughn. “My father was an aircraft mechanic, and I studied aviation technology at Willow Run Airport.”
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