Plane crashes at Thunder Over Michigan air show; 2 people parachute from jet

A plane crashed at the Thunder Over Michigan air show Sunday, officials said. The event was part of the air show’s 25th anniversary.

Two occupants parachuted from the MiG-23 fighter jet south of Willow Run Airport and landed in Belleville Lake, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane’s occupants were being treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, Van Buren Township supervisor Kevin McNamara said.

The aircraft crashed into the parking lot of an apartment building in Belleville, striking unoccupied vehicles, the Wayne County Airport Authority said. 

“The pilot and backseater successfully ejected from the aircraft before the crash,” the authority said. “While it did not appear they sustained any significant injuries, first responders transported the pair to a nearby hospital as a precaution.”

Nobody on the ground was injured, McNamara said.

Thunder Over Michigan said in a Facebook post that there was a “situation” that required the show to be stopped. People were asked to head to their vehicles and “calmly” leave the airfield. 

Videos showed flame and smoke billowing into the sky. Some videos also showed what appears to be the pilot parachuting out of the plane.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.