Engine Failure Caused Thunder Over Michigan Air Show Crash: NTSB

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI — The pilot of a Russian military plane that crashed on Sunday during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at the Yankee Air Museum remains in serious condition as federal investigators say engine failure caused the plane go down near a Belleville apartment complex.

The crash took place just after 4 p.m. Sunday at the air show, which was being hosted by Willow Run Airport. Investigators from the National Traffic Safety Board told reporters on Monday that the MiG-23 was making the second of three passes over the air show when pilots experienced engine trouble and were forced to eject from the plane.

The plane crashed near the Lake Apartments in Belleville, traveled about 500 feet and went through a patch of trees before coming to a rest near the apartment complex, NTSB investigator John Brannen said at a news conference on Monday. Video being shot on cell phones by observers showed the pilots ejecting themselves from the plane before the plane crashed and burst into flames.

Brannen said the fact that no one on the ground was injured is “very, very fortunate.” He said the pilot remains in serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The observer in the plane was also injured in the crash.

Brannen said it is not known when the pilots first experienced the engine issues. He has not spoken with the pilot, who owns the plane and is from Texas, according to the Air Show’s website. Brannen said that crews are en route and will do a further investigation into the incident and said that a complete review of the crash could take up to two years.

Brannen said that the pilot declared a loss of power emergency and decided it could not be corrected before he and the other occupant in the plane decided to eject. He said he cannot draw any conclusions as to what caused the crash as the investigation remains in its preliminary phase.

“It’s very fortunate, of course, that nobody on the ground was injured,” Brannen said on Monday. “In this case, we have a fairly large airplane, and the fact both pilots survived and that there were no ground injuries is a very good outcome.”