23rd Air Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
.png)
commanderCol. Maciej Trelka
| 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 |
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.[1] 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.[2] This incident marked the first crash of a MiG-29 during its nearly three decades of its operational service in the Polish Air Force.[3] The second crash followed on 4 March 2019. This time the pilot ejected and survived.[4]
