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NTSB Says Weekend Airshow Crash Result of Engine ‘Loss-of-Power’ Issues

© X / @TreyYingstThunder Over Michigan airshow 2023 crash
Thunder Over Michigan airshow 2023 crash - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.08.2023
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The MiG-23UB was created by the Soviet Union in 1970 and was manufactured for the Soviet military until 1978 and for export customers until 1985.
The airshow crash that resulted in two pilots ejecting midair and the plane crashing into the parking lot of an apartment complex in Michigan over the weekend was caused by a loss-of-power issue with the engine, a senior National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator revealed.
On Sunday, a Russian MiG-23UB fighter jet was performing at the 25th Thunder Over Michigan airshow in Ypsilanti, a town between Detroit and Ann Arbor, when during its second of three passes a puff of smoke erupted from the plane as the pilot and co-pilot ejected.
Both pilots landed in Belleville Lake, where they were later rescued. The pilot reportedly suffered major but non-life-threatening injuries while the co-pilot sustained minor injuries. It is not known at this time if they have been released from the hospital.
John Brannen, a senior air safety NTSB investigator, said the cause of the crash remains unclear but that the plane experienced “engine loss-of-power issues” before the plane crashed.
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A team of investigators were still at the crash site on Monday documenting the aftermath and working with a recovery crew. A preliminary report is expected in around 10 days, but Brannen said a full investigation may take up to two years.
"Right now, all the information is preliminary and we can't draw any conclusions," Brannen said. "The fact that both pilots survived and there were no ground injuries is a very good outcome."
After the pilots ejected, the plane crashed into a field and traveled more than 500 feet on the ground, eventually coming to rest in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex, colliding with unoccupied vehicles.
Some residents of the building were evacuated but the building never caught fire. The US Environmental Protection Agency is also reportedly on the scene to investigate any potential contamination from the jet’s fuel.
Brannen said the plane’s country of origin and military background may slow the investigation.
“[T]here's no what we call a 'flight certificate' that civilian airplanes have with details of the manufacturers that you can go to for assistance in this, which will make this more difficult,” Brannen told US media.
Residents of the apartment complex described the crash and aftermath to US media. “We were watching TV and we heard a big 'boom,' and then we're like, 'What the heck is that?’” Emilio Cancel, who lives in an apartment near the crash, said. "I looked outside, and all of [a] sudden, I see something 'boom,' blew up right here," he said. "The biggest fireball I've ever seen.
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