# 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.
- Title: F-16 fighter jet crashes safely in Michigan training exercise
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: f-16 fighter jet, michigan crash, texas air force, pilot ejects safely, training exercise, grand traverse county, national guard, alpena, military aviation, news, local, F-16
- Source: ABC7 Los Angeles — https://abc7.com/post/16-fighter-jet-texas-crashes-during-training-exercise-grand-traverse-county-michigan-shelter-place-advised/19844375
- Published: 2026-09-17T19:58:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: f-16 fighter jet, michigan crash, texas air force, pilot ejects safely, training exercise, grand traverse county, national guard, alpena, military aviation, news, local
## 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.
## Key takeaway

The pilot escaped unharmed despite the crash occurring near residential areas during a training exercise.