An F-16 fighter jet crashed and burst into flames in Michigan during a training exercise. The pilot safely ejected and is receiving treatment, while residents within a mile of the crash site were ordered to evacuate due to explosions and debris.
A pilot ejected before a Texas-based F-16 fighter jet crashed and burst into flames in Michigan Thursday during a training exercise. The pilot was receiving treatment at a local hospital, according to Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing. Gutierrez declined to share details about the pilot’s injuries and identity, citing military policy. The Grand Traverse County Emergency Management warned anyone within a mile of the crash site to evacuate, writing on Facebook, “Evacuate away from the intersection of Co Rd 633 and Jefferson Pl. Follow instructions from emergency personnel. More information to follow.” The aircraft was taking part in training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, about 190 miles (305 kilometers) north of Detroit. Witnesses reported hearing a loud crash, and pictures shared on social media showed a dark plume of smoke in the air. Wendy Sobeck said she and her husband heard a "very loud crash" down the road, minutes from their rural home. "We thought there was a car accident outside our house. We saw big billowing black smoke. We couldn’t tell what it was, so my husband got into his pickup truck and saw what happened," Sobeck said. "You could see the plane debris in the field. Explosions kept happening." Fred Sobeck, 65, said he drove down the road and saw a "big fireball in the field" near a house and a camper, which were unharmed. "Police told me to get out of there because of explosions," he said. The jet was among several F-16 aircraft from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, participating in the Michigan training exercises, Gutierrez said. The military began flying F-16s in 1979. There have been at least 14 "Class A mishaps" involving F-16s since 2000, according to the Air Force Safety Center. The designation applies when damage exceeds $2 million, an aircraft is destroyed, or a service member dies. In December, an F-16C Fighting Falcon with the Air Force’s elite Thunderbirds demonstration squadron crashed in the Southern California desert, and the pilot in that incident also ejected safely.
