23rd Air Base
| 23rd Air Base | |
|---|---|
| Near Mińsk Mazowiecki in Poland | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator | Polish Air Force |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1 January 2001-Present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Col. Maciej Trelka |
| Garrison | 1st Tactical Squadron |
| Airfield information | |
| Identifiers | ICAO: EPMM |
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The 23rd Air Base (Polish: 23 Baza Lotnicza) is a Polish Air Force base, located 6 km east of Mińsk Mazowiecki. It was officially established on 1 January 2001, replacing the disbanded 1st Aviation Regiment "Warszawa". The main unit based there is the 1st Air Tactical Squadron, which operates MiG-29 fighter jets.
On 18 December 2017, one of the MiG-29's stationed here at the base crash landed in a forest near Kałuszyn while on approach to land. The pilot survived. Initial reports were contradictory as tonwhether he had ejected. On 21 December 2017, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the pilot did not eject. This incident marked the first crash of a MiG-29 during its nearly three decades of its operational service in the Polish Air Force. The second crash followed on 4 March 2019. This time the pilot ejected and survived.