On the morning of 4th July 1989, a lone Soviet Union Mig-23 fighter left its base in Poland and headed west. Its course would fly over Soviet East Germany before crossing over the iron curtain into West Germany. After passing through Dutch airspace it entered Belgium and was on a course towards Lille in France when it fell from the sky and crashed into the Belgium countryside. This story is remarkable enough but even more so when you discover that this Soviet fighter did not have a pilot on board; it was flying itself.

This is the story of one of the most bizarre incidents involving a Cold War Jet. Happening in the closing days of the Cold War, it could still have escalated into a serious incident between the USSR and NATO.

A single Mig 23 fighter bomber left it's base for a routine flight but the pilot ejected soon after take off. The plane didn't crash however and continued flying west on autopilot. Crossing East Germany it then invaded the west and NATO territory before eventually running out of fuel. The Mig-23 then flying over Belgium, crashed into farmland in the Belgian countryside.

As it turned out, it was hastily forgotten, although not for the family of the single fatality caused by the incident. The Mig 23 crashed onto a farmhouse in Kortrijk, Belgium and killed 18 year old Wim Delaere.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments are always welcome and I try to respond to as many as possible.
Please keep the comments polite and respectful.
I reserve the right to remove any comments that breach these guidelines.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Credits
Epidemic Sound.com
Get a 30 Day FREE Trial of awesome music using this link.
[ Ссылка ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credits & Attributions
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
Original radio comms
[ Ссылка ]

свернуть