{"id":11041112,"date":"2026-08-10T17:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?p=11041112"},"modified":"2026-08-24T16:57:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:57:43","slug":"1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ghost MiG That Crossed Europe Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>On the Fourth of July 1989, two American F-15 pilots on alert in the Netherlands were scrambled to intercept an intruder crossing into NATO airspace. What they found was a real Soviet fighter, deep over Western Europe &mdash; with no one flying it.<\/p><p>It became one of the strangest and saddest episodes of the entire Cold War: the ghost flight of a pilotless MiG.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:18px\">Informations cl\u00e9s<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Date:<\/strong> 4 July 1989<\/li><li><strong>A\u00e9ronef:<\/strong> a Soviet MiG-23M &ldquo;Flogger&rdquo;<\/li><li><strong>Ce qui s&#039;est pass\u00e9:<\/strong> the pilot ejected after apparent engine trouble - but the jet kept flying<\/li><li><strong>Le vol :<\/strong> around 900 km, pilotless, across Poland, Germany and into Belgium<\/li><li><strong>Intercept:<\/strong> two USAF F-15C Eagles from Soesterberg shadowed it<\/li><li><strong>The tragedy:<\/strong> it ran out of fuel and hit a house near Kortrijk, killing an 18-year-old man<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The pilot who left too early<\/h2><p>That morning, Colonel Nikolai Skuridin took off in a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/aeronef\/mig-23-flogger\/\">MiG-23M<\/a> from Bagicz air base near Kolobrzeg, Poland. Seconds after lift-off, at only about 150 metres, the afterburner cut out and he saw smoke. Convinced the engine had failed and the jet was going down, he ejected.<\/p><p>He was wrong. Lightened by the loss of the pilot and heavy ejection seat, the MiG stopped descending, pitched up, and climbed away on its own. Its engine settled at reduced power, its autopilot held a steady heading, and the unmanned fighter set off west at around 170 knots &mdash; straight toward NATO.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1851759693  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/f-15c-soesterberg-eagle.jpg\" alt=\"A USAF F-15C Eagle\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A USAF F-15C Eagle of the type scrambled from Soesterberg to intercept the ghost MiG. Photo: U.S. Air Force \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S8yCGQ5we74\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">&ldquo;No pilot!&rdquo;<\/h2><p>The MiG crossed Poland, East Germany and into West German airspace at 35,000 feet. USAF Captains J.D. Martin and Bill Murphy of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron &mdash; the &ldquo;Wolfhounds&rdquo; at Soesterberg &mdash; were launched to intercept. When they slid into formation, they realised the canopy and the pilot were simply gone.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re looking at a MiG-23 just like the pictures you&rsquo;ve studied your entire fighter pilot life, but it just doesn&rsquo;t add up. What&rsquo;s he doing here? Why is he alone?&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Capt. Bill &ldquo;Turf&rdquo; Murphy<\/strong> &mdash; USAF F-15C pilot, 32nd TFS, in F-15 Eagle Engaged<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>Ground controllers refused to believe it. As Murphy recalled, the pilots had to repeat the impossible report over and over &mdash; a canopy-less, seatless, pilotless Flogger cruising through NATO&rsquo;s heart &mdash; before anyone on the ground accepted what they were hearing.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1245299898  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger-soviet.jpg\" alt=\"A Soviet MiG-23 Flogger\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The MiG-23 &ldquo;Flogger&rdquo; flew on for roughly 900 km with an empty cockpit. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A terrible ending<\/h2><p>As the MiG finally ran its tanks dry near 40,000 feet, it began a shallow descent toward the French-Belgian border. The Eagle pilots were even cleared to shoot it down &mdash; but only if that would cause less harm than letting it fall. They judged it would come down short of the city of Lille, in open country, and held their fire.<\/p><p>The MiG glided down in an eerily perfect gear-up attitude and struck a house in Bellegem, near Kortrijk, Belgium. Inside was 18-year-old Wim Delaere, who was killed. A Soviet fighter had crossed a continent on its own and taken an innocent life at the end of it.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MB2W1HtYY50\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>Colonel Skuridin, who had ejected believing his aircraft was doomed, was devastated when he learned what it had done.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;If I could have foreseen such tragic consequences to this pilotless flight, I would have stayed in the plane to the end.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Col. Nikolai Skuridin<\/strong> &mdash; the Soviet pilot who ejected, apologising afterward<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>The incident laid bare an uncomfortable truth of the late Cold War: a genuine Soviet fighter had penetrated NATO airspace, been intercepted by its best interceptors &mdash; and there was still almost nothing anyone could safely do about it.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0RmvgJxPOT4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#777;font-style:italic\">Sources: Steve Davies & Doug Dildy, F-15 Eagle Engaged (Osprey); Wikipedia (1989 Belgium MiG-23 crash); The Aviation Geek Club; War History Online.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Articles similaires<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/constant-peg-red-eagles-secret-migs\/\">Les MiG secrets du d\u00e9sert du Nevada<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/the-mig-25-foxbat-panic-that-rewrote-fighter-design\/\">La panique autour du MiG-25 Foxbat qui a boulevers\u00e9 la conception des chasseurs<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 &#8211; but the jet flew on, pilotless, for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":11040817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11041112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"824\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"The Ghost MiG That Crossed Europe Alone\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":678,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/mig-23-flogger.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/mig-23-flogger.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/mig-23-flogger.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/mig-23-flogger.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":824,\"caption\":\"MiG-23 Flogger G.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/es\\\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Ghost MiG That Crossed Europe Alone\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/afterburner\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\",\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\"},\"description\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/fortuneleroy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe","description":"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe","og_description":"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":824,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/"},"author":{"name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3"},"headline":"The Ghost MiG That Crossed Europe Alone","datePublished":"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/"},"wordCount":678,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/","name":"The Pilotless MiG-23 That Crossed Europe","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-10T15:36:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-24T14:57:43+00:00","description":"In 1989 a Soviet pilot ejected from his MiG-23 - but the jet flew on pilotless for 900 km across Europe before crashing into a house in Belgium.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/mig-23-flogger.jpg","width":1280,"height":824,"caption":"MiG-23 Flogger G.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/1989-pilotless-mig-23-ghost-flight-belgium\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Ghost MiG That Crossed Europe Alone"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - Le magazine de MiGFlug","description":"pour ceux qui s&#039;int\u00e9ressent au pilotage d&#039;avions militaires et aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 l&#039;aviation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3","name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy"},"description":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy couvre l&#039;a\u00e9rospatiale fran\u00e7aise et europ\u00e9enne, du Rafale et d&#039;Airbus \u00e0 la strat\u00e9gie de l&#039;OTAN et \u00e0 l&#039;industrie de d\u00e9fense du continent.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/author\/fortuneleroy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11041112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11041112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11041112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11041123,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11041112\/revisions\/11041123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11040817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11041112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11041112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11041112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}