(WWJ) – A preliminary report released this week shows the timeline of events leading up to the crash of a Russian Fighter jet performing at the Thunder Over Michigan air show near Willow Run Airport on Aug. 13.
The report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the MiG-23 fighter jet lost power after an engine didn’t fire properly.
The pilot reported after he made the first pass during the performance, he began banking the jet and noticed the engine afterburner didn’t ignite and the airspeed began to slow, according to the report.
The report says the pilot brought the swing wings into the fully forward position (16° sweep) to increase lift and began troubleshooting the problem, but he and his passenger were at odds over whether to eject.
As he was trying to work out the issue, according to the NTSB, the backseater said they needed to eject.
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The pilot “reported that he was not ready to eject and was still troubleshooting the problem and maneuvering the airplane toward runway 27 at YIP when his ejection seat fired, and he was out of the airplane,” the report says. The pilot said that if either occupant pulls the ejection handle, both seats eject.
The backseater told investigators the jet made a pass along the runway and the plan was to go to the left for another pass followed by a landing. He said that the engine was not accelerating.
“He and the pilot had a brief discussion and began to climb up and gain altitude. They determined that they had some type of engine problem and needed to get back on the ground,” the report said. “He stated that they determined they did not have sufficient altitude to make it to a runway at the airport.”
Running short on time, that’s when the pair ejected from the jet, making it out just seconds before the plane exploded in the air. They suffered only minor injuries, while the plane crashed near an apartment building in Belleville.
The jet continued in the left bank and descended into the ground about a mile south of the approach end of runway 27 at Willow Run, according to the report. The wreckage path was about 600 ft. long on a heading of about 35°. There was a post-impact explosion and fire.
There were no reported injuries on the ground.
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