F-16 Destroyed in Fiery Michigan Crash After Pilot Ejects During Training
A Texas Air National Guard F-16 crashed in northern Michigan on Thursday, destroying the fighter jet in a fiery impact in a field, but the pilot ejected safely before the aircraft went down, officials said.
The pilot, assigned to the 149th Fighter Wing at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, was participating in training exercises from a National Guard base in Alpena, Mich., according to Fox News Digital. The crash occurred in Grand Traverse County, CNN reported.
Radio traffic captured by LiveATC.net offered a partial picture of the emergency. Another pilot told air traffic control, “We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe [they] may have taken a bird.” An air traffic controller then reported seeing “a lot of black smoke, which we believe is the ejected F-16,” adding that the pilot “may have lost an engine and ejected.” The transmission confirmed the pilot was the only person aboard.
Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing, confirmed the pilot had ejected and told the Associated Press he was being treated at a local hospital and was in stable condition.
Military officials have so far attributed the crash to a “mishap,” or said the plane “experienced an incident,” without providing additional details. In a statement, the Texas Air National Guard said the pilot was “safe” and had “successfully ejected from the aircraft.” It added that the incident was under investigation and that additional information would be released as it became available.
Local news outlets reported the pilot was “conscious and alert” after the crash, citing eyewitnesses who saw him eject and parachute to the ground. Witnesses also reported hearing multiple explosions shortly after the crash.
County emergency management ordered residents within a one-mile radius of the crash site to evacuate, though officials did not identify the specific hazardous substance or other reason for the order.
Michigan State Police confirmed no other injuries, ABC News reported. Other Texas Air National Guard pilots who were in Michigan for the training exercises were grounded immediately after the crash, and a military official told ABC News the grounding would likely continue for at least 24 hours.
Photos and videos of the crash and its aftermath circulated on social media as local, state and military authorities responded to the scene.
The crash highlights the inherent risks of military flight training and the scrutiny that follows the loss of a fighter jet. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, multirole fighter used widely by the Air Force and Air National Guard, and such incidents can prompt temporary safety stand-downs while investigators gather evidence.