An F-16 fighter jet crashed in northern Michigan on Thursday afternoon during a training exercise. The pilot safely ejected from the jet and was taken to a hospital.
Officials later said the pilot was in stable condition.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud crash, and images posted to social media showed a dark plume of smoke in the air. As per WOOD, he crash happened around 2pm along a country road in Green Lake Township, a few miles east of Interlochen State Park. Grand Traverse County Emergency Management ordered everyone within one mile of the crash site to evacuate. An audio recording obtained by WOOD indicated the pilot believed the jet may have hit a bird. “We have a possible mayday by wingman. I believe (they) may have taken a bird,” a military pilot alerted air traffic controllers, as per CNN. Here is the audio: Sgt. He declined to release details about the pilot’s identity or any injuries, citing military policy. Master Sgt. “We thought there was a car accident outside our house. We saw big billowing black smoke. “You could see the plane debris in the field. Explosions kept happening.”
As per Fox16, the F-16 belonged to the 149th Fighter Wing from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas . “It appears that they may have lost an engine and ejected… but we do see a lot of black smoke, which we believe is the ejected F-16.
The crash took place in Blair Township, Michigan, during what officials called a routine training exercise, according to AP. The unit said student and instructor pilots were traveling to Michigan for Operation Northern Cactus at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing, told the Associated Press that the pilot had ejected safely and was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. Agustin Salazar, also a spokesperson for the 149th, told WOOD that the pilot is in stable condition. He could not immediately comment on whether anyone else was injured, and said additional information would be forthcoming. Wendy Sobeck said she and her husband heard a “very loud crash” down the road, minutes from their rural home. We couldn’t tell what it was, so my husband got into his pickup truck and saw what happened,” Sobeck said, per AP.
