From ABC7 Los Angeles · · 1m 30s
F-16 fighter jet crashes safely in Michigan training exercise
A Texas-based F-16 crashed during routine National Guard training in northern Michigan, but the pilot ejected safely.
In brief
A Texas-based F-16 crashed during routine National Guard training in northern Michigan, but the pilot ejected safely. The pilot escaped unharmed despite the crash occurring near residential areas during a training exercise. Originally reported by ABC7 Los Angeles.
F-16 crashes during Michigan training
An F-16 fighter jet from Texas crashed in rural Michigan on Thursday during a routine training exercise at a National Guard base in Alpena, about 190 miles north of Detroit.
Pilot ejects safely, receives treatment
The pilot ejected from the aircraft and was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. Military officials declined to release details about the pilot's identity or injuries.
Witnesses saw smoke and explosions
Nearby residents heard a loud crash and saw a dark plume of smoke. One witness reported seeing plane debris in a field and continued explosions, though nearby houses and a camper were not hit.
“You could see the plane debris in the field. Explosions kept happening.”
F-16s from Texas base involved
The crashed jet was one of several F-16 aircraft from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas participating in the Michigan training exercises.
F-16 safety record in context
The military began flying F-16s in 1979. Since 2000, there have been at least 14 Class A mishaps involving F-16s, a designation used when damage exceeds 2 million dollars, an aircraft is destroyed, or a service member is killed.
Similar Thunderbirds crash in California
In December, an F-16C Fighting Falcon with the Air Force's elite Thunderbirds demonstration squadron crashed in the Southern California desert, and that pilot also ejected safely.
The short version
The pilot escaped unharmed despite the crash occurring near residential areas during a training exercise.
