Pilot recovering after ejecting from jet

We're talking with the pilot who ejected before his MIG crashed at Thunder Over Michigan.

[rudiruttger]

So amazing how everyone on the ground and in the air survived.

[meatpopsicle]

That's a terrible loss. Soviet-era aircraft are exceeding hard to replace. Thankfully no one was killed!

[BackflipinBrandon]

The fact this guy collects Russian jets as a hobby is impressive on its own.

[burnttoast]

Glad to hear he's recovering. That aircraft uses the KM-1 ejection seat, designed in the early 1960s. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for pilots to sustain injuries using that seat. Soviet/Russian aircraft designed from ~1980 onwards use the K-36 seat, which is probably still among the safest seats.

[mcloutier]

Geez, you talked to the pilot but didn't ask him why he ejected.

[vuho]

He was captured and is now locked up in the infamous Michigan Hilton. Thoughts and prayers are with him during this difficult period

[dualmass]

Glad no one was killed
Wow, the news anchor is real beauty!

[ralphkassing]

I saw it fly at Oshkosh and remember wondering how long it would be until this happened. Just got an uneasy feeling watching it fly.

[jaystengel]

My old man is a television repairman, he has an ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

[Youtubax]

I think this accident was a coin toss regarding possible outcomes. He was VERY lucky nobody died.

[Skank_and_Gutterboy]

I like how this news story barely mentions the backseater and talk about him like he's nothing but a passenger at the very tail-end of the piece.

[Zone_Stomper]

I was just watching a video about that pilot and his Mig 23 about a week ago. Good thing he survived. I know ejecting is not an easy ride. Not at all.

[G-performance]

fantastic journalism work !!
- no smoke, engine running, slowly turning jet is shown on video
- pilots eject
- plane crashes in exactly the same trajectory as before ejection
- LUCKILY no one is harmed as the crash is in a residential area !
and nobody asked the pilot ho they ejected ...
fantastic job ! as always should I say !

[arlo]

I wonder how many of the apartment residents are considering moving.

[franktaravella]

Surprised he didn’t try harder to ditch over the water. Very lucky no one on the ground was injured

[johnnyboi]

A miracle the seat functioned properly.

[danielschmitt]

He’s lucky. He hopped out before he had a chance to steer that mig dog into anywhere besides an apartment complex.

[Avadon]

Wow that scared me for a second there I thought that was an F14.

[nate]

What actually happened to cause them to eject? The mig ejection system was designed for low level ejections which is dangerous in itself. Yes it pops you up high enough to get fabric above you but it’s so violent it can destroy the spine from the energy.

[guymerritt]

These old "war birds" have a habit of crashing at air shows. At Oshkosh, recently, a piece of glass from the wind screen came flying off of this same airplane. I kinda wonder about the wisdom of flying these old jets at low altitudes over residential areas. I'm glad no one was killed but it's also incredibly, incredibly lucky.